Truth Will Out
by DragonsAngel68
Summary: Draco and Ginny discover that the truth is a funny creature, especially when you can’t lie successfully.
1. The Bet

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little._

_**Author's Notes**__: Written for scarlettrayne2 for t__he Fall 2008 __dgficexchange. Huge thank you to my beta, rainpuddle13 for her patience, commentary and skill._

**TRUTH WILL OUT**

**THE BET**

Draco leaned against the bar, nursing his Firewhisky in one hand, while his eyes scanned the incoming patrons. He was watching out for his best friend, who was already fifteen minutes late — not that this was unusual, because she was always running late, no matter what the occasion. He'd often teased her that she was going to be late for her own funeral, but seeing as they couldn't start proceedings without her it didn't bother her one little bit. If it were anyone else, he'd have given up in disgust and left, but they had a standing date every Friday evening, so he knew she'd appear sooner or later, probably later knowing her.

The double doors of the chic pub suddenly burst open, hitting the walls with a resounding thump, and a redhead just about fell through the opening. Her hair was a matted mess, and she looked entirely harassed. Draco smirked. This was so typically her. She couldn't do anything quietly or unobtrusively, but he'd found those particular qualities endeared her to him even more. Rather than join him straight away, she waved and made a rather large, unladylike gesture in the direction of the ladies' room.

He summoned the barkeep and ordered two more drinks while he waited. She looked like she needed a hard hit of something to start the evening. His mind wandered to what possible explanation she might have for her appearance and tardiness. It was bound to be something extraordinarily inventive, because this woman never did things by halves.

"Is this mine?" Ginny asked, reaching for the tumbler of Firewhisky.

Before Draco could answer, Ginny had drained the contents with a satisfied sigh. Without blinking an eyelid, she reached over and took his glass from his hand, and drained what was left of his drink as well.

"Bad day?" Draco asked.

"Horrific," Ginny admitted. "I swear I'm going to hex the next person who dares to fill the admission form in wrong, and then has the audacity to argue with me about it. Is it my fault they're stupid and can't read the instructions? They just seem to think that they're all 'very special people' and the rules should be waived for them." She finished her tirade with a snarl.

"Dare I ask, who thinks they're special?"

"Everyone! The general bloody public!"

Draco chuckled as he got the attention of the barkeep again. Ginny was far better suited to a position where she wasn't in contact with the general public all day, but for some reason, unbeknown to him, she'd chosen a career as a Healer's aide and dealt with the public all day long at the hospital. It was really only a matter of time before she hexed some supercilious patient clear into next century.

"Get this into you," Draco said, passing her a fresh Firewhisky. "Are we having a liquid dinner, or would you like to go through to the restaurant?"

"I think I'd better eat something," Ginny confessed. "I skipped lunch today, so this is going straight to my head."

"If you appreciated it, like you're supposed to, it wouldn't have such a devastating effect on you."

"I didn't say it was devastating," Ginny corrected. "It's quite pleasant, actually."

"But you're going to be fall down drunk before too long," Draco concluded.

"Yep, so best you feed me or you'll be carrying me home!"

"It wouldn't be the first time," Draco commented sarcastically.

"I know, but you do whine when that happens, so it's best I eat something to save my sanity."

"What was with the wild look when you arrived?" Draco asked as they walked through to the restaurant section.

"The twins!" Ginny answered simply. "As I was walking past their store they were waiting for me."

"What did they do?" Draco inquired sympathetically.

"One of them threw a ball or something at me, and the next thing I knew I was caught up in some sort of tornado or something."

"That explains the hair."

"I'm going to kill them," Ginny mumbled angrily.

"Can I watch?"

"Of course, but you've got to promise not to interfere."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Draco assured her.

"Bugger! Someone's at our regular table," Ginny complained.

"Not for long." Draco started to approach the table in question.

"Draco, you can't—"

"Yes, I can," he countered. "That's _our_ table. We _always_ sit there."

"We missed it tonight."

"I'll just ask them to move."

"No, you can't do that." Ginny looked around the restaurant quickly. "Look, there's a lovely table over there. If we're quick we'll get to it before that other couple."

"Fine," Draco snapped.

Ginny couldn't keep up with Draco's long strides, as he wove between tables and claimed the table only moments before the other couple got there. She thought that perhaps he had shoved the rival wizard as he passed him, but she knew better than to bring it up. With Draco, all was fair in love, war and getting the best table in the restaurant.

"You took your time," Draco drawled as she approached.

"I didn't think racing across the restaurant would be very ladylike," Ginny answered.

"Since when have you been a lady?" Draco posed with a cheeky smirk.

"Oh, so you want me to behave like a common—"

"No! You keep doing your _best_ impression of a lady, and I'll let you know when you've nailed it."

"If you insist," Ginny said flippantly as she sat down.

"You're supposed to wait until I hold your chair," Draco pointed out.

"I'd be waiting all night if I waited for you."

Draco sighed affectedly and dropped his head into his hands. "Do we have to go back to basics?"

"What makes you think I'd need to return to the basics?" Ginny's eyes danced as she shook out her napkin and promptly tucked the linen into the top of her bodice.

Draco glanced up over his hands. "You do enjoy torturing me, don't you?"

Ginny smiled sweetly. "It's the highlight of my days."

"What did I do to deserve this torture?" Draco mumbled.

"Do you want the long version or the abridged version?"

"Is there a shorter version?" Draco reached over and snatched the napkin away from her neck.

"I could go with you're an evil, arrogant git, but that's not very imaginative," Ginny answered casually.

Draco shook his head and picked up the menus. After passing one across the table he perused what was on offer this evening. "Anything catch your fancy?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Mmm… Mr. Gray-shirt over by the bar," Ginny murmured absently.

"He's not going to look too attractive when you start feeding off him," Draco commented as he flicked her menu.

"Who said anything about feeding?" Ginny said, turning her attention back to the menu.

"Somehow, I don't think sperm is going to be quite enough to counter the amount of alcohol you've already had tonight, even if you ingest it."

"How is it that you can manage to be so proper while being an absolute animal?" Ginny quizzed.

Draco smirked confidently. "I'm exceptional."

Ginny shook her head slowly to convey how wrong he was, not that it would alter Draco's perception of himself.

"What do you want for dinner?" Draco asked seriously.

"Umm—" Ginny glanced at the menu quickly. "I'll have the chicken."

"Good." Draco summoned the waiter and placed their order.

"How was your day?" Ginny asked once the waiter had stepped away from the table.

"Same as always," Draco answered. "Father was in a foul mood, and my secretary seems to be missing her brain. Of course, that was the good part of the day, because I spent much of it trying to reconcile a month of my mother's expenditures, and that's a special kind of torture in and of itself."

"Ouch! Give me stupid, grumpy patients any day."

"At least you can sedate them," Draco claimed wryly.

"Did you manage to get the books reconciled?"

"Just. Mind you, there was a fair flow of tears from Mother when I informed her that her beauty appointments were not a company expense and she should stop having the accounts sent to the office."

"Didn't you tell her that last month?"

"And the month before that, and the month before that."

"She needs a personal secretary," Ginny pointed out. "Someone to take care of those mundane things for her."

"Are you kidding? She'd never have it," Draco responded in a horrified tone.

"Why not?"

"Because then there would be a witness and that just won't do."

"Oh." Ginny laughed. She could see the infamous Narcissa Malfoy ordering the elimination of anyone who learned too many of her secrets.

"Enough about my mother," Draco announced firmly. "I shall be unable to perform this evening if I'm thinking about her."

"We can't have that, can we?"

"Absolutely not!" Draco picked up his glass. "I propose a toast: to the end of another hellish week and to getting a mind-blowing shag tonight."

"Cheers," Ginny said as she touched her glass against his.

The moment their meals arrived the conversation gave way to the sound of cutlery against crockery. Of course, the obligatory comments regarding their food were honored, but apart from that there was little noise from their table.

Draco disposed of his Beef Wellington in short order, not realizing how ravenous he was until he began eating. He waited patiently for Ginny to finish. If there was one thing that surprised him about her, it was the speed at which she ate, or rather the lack of it. One would think in a family the size of hers it would be an advantage to be a fast eater, but here was the youngest member taking her time over every mouthful.

"Would you like dessert?" Draco offered as Ginny placed her dirty cutlery on her now empty plate.

"Perhaps later," Ginny suggested, leaning back in her chair. "I'm so full."

"Let me know." Draco winked across the table. "Shall we retire to the bar and see what we can find to keep ourselves entertained for the evening?"

"May as well," Ginny agreed. "I think it's my turn to pay for dinner."

"I've got it," Draco insisted.

"We're supposed to take turns," Ginny reminded him.

"I know, but you know I'm not good at sharing," Draco responded, reaching into his pocket for the Galleons that would cover their meal.

Ginny shook her head. She would slip the money back into his pocket later in the evening, after he'd had a little more to drink, or she'd leave it at his flat during the week. Either way she'd make sure she paid for dinner.

The bar had become crowded with Friday night revelers in the time it had taken for them to eat their meal. It was loud and energetic, and the atmosphere was one of good cheer. Music throbbed through the establishment, making general conversation a challenge.

Draco grabbed Ginny's hand and they battled their way to the bar. He ordered a couple of drinks and they slowly, as the masses allowed, made their way down the bar to be close to the dance floor. It was the perfect spot for both of them to assess the available talent.

"What about that one?" Draco nodded in the direction of an obviously inebriated blonde, who was wearing a skirt that barely covered her arse and a top that was two sizes too small.

Ginny looked the young woman in question up and down before screwing up her nose. "Too tarty."

Draco quirked his eyebrows at her and smirked cheekily. "My favorite flavor."

"So you're going to marry a tart, are you?"

"Who said anything about marriage? I just want a shag," Draco responded.

"You'll end up catching something nasty," Ginny called as he began to make his way across the dance floor.

She knew her protests were pointless, because once he spied a potential shag his dick took over his thought processes, and no amount of talking could put him off task. Ginny watched him approach the girl wearing the belt that was trying to pass itself off as a skirt.

Draco in action was something else to see. It still amused her to watch women swoon at his feet when he did nothing more than grace them with a smirk that clearly said, 'I want to rip your knickers off'. He had his moves, of course, and she knew them well, not that he'd ever tried any of them on her. At the moment, he was on the other side of the dance floor whispering charmingly in the girl's ear. A confident smirk was tugging at his lips as his hand came up to stroke her cheek gently. Ginny laughed as the girl giggled. She must remember to tell him to get some new moves, because it was getting boring watching the same rubbish over and again.

Ginny saw his arm slip around her waist, and they disappeared towards the back of the pub, where the shadows were darker and deeper. She sighed and turned her attention back to finding herself some company for the evening. The pickings were a bit slim tonight.

"Another drink, miss?" the barkeep asked.

"Yes, thank you," Ginny replied absently. She dug into her handbag for her money.

"Not to worry, miss, your friend has taken care of your expenses," the barkeep said as he placed a Firewhisky in front of her.

"He told you to look after me, didn't he?"

"Just keeping an eye out, miss," the barkeep insisted.

"Thank you," Ginny expressed genuinely.

She briefly wondered how much money Draco dropped on the bar before he went off to see if he could get lucky, but then she decided that it didn't matter. Small gestures like that assured her that he was looking after her, and it warmed her heart. Draco had a hard time talking about his emotions and typically covered his feelings with snarky comments, unless she pushed him to his limit, then he usually snapped and spilled everything in a series of angry snarls. On a very rare occasion, they connected deeply and his heartfelt honesty was enough to bring tears to her eyes — something that made her grateful he was a little protective of his feelings.

As she perused the available men, her mind wasn't quite on the job. Ginny kept wondering where Draco had gotten to and what he was up to at the moment.

"Hello, beautiful."

Ginny jumped as the voice sounded right in her ear. Her head snapped to the right to find a dark-haired man standing very close and looking directly into her eyes. "Oh, hello."

"I'm Robert."

"Hello, Robert," Ginny said politely as she tried not to choke on the odor of stale Mead emanating from him. "My name's Ginny."

"Ah, a beautiful name for a beautiful lady," Robert slurred.

"Are you here with anyone?" Ginny asked, taking the opportunity to look around and get a lungful of clean air.

"Just my mates." Robert leaned further into Ginny's personal space. "How about you? Do you have any friends here?"

"My best friend is around somewhere," Ginny admitted carefully.

"Is that a fact?"

"Yes," Ginny responded confidently. Apart from being a little drunk and smelly, the man in front of her was quite good looking. The question was could she handle the smell without barfing all over him.

"Is your friend as pretty as you?"

Ginny smiled, despite herself. The honest answer was no, because Draco was far prettier than her, but this guy didn't yet know that her friend wasn't female. For a few seconds, her mind mulled over how he would react when he found out.

"Well?"

He had breathed more than articulated the question and Ginny just about lost her stomach, as she was assaulted by the fetid stench of his stale breath. It was enough to make her mind up instantly — this one wasn't worth the torture.

"I should really go and look for my friend," Ginny said, taking a step away from Robert.

"What's the hurry?" Robert stepped into her personal space again and managed to snake an arm around her waist. "Your friend is welcome to join us. I don't mind a threesome."

"Oh, I don't think so," Ginny uttered, trying not to use too much of her oxygen supply. "I really should—"

"Don't be like that, love." Robert leaned in even further and managed to place a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "We're just going to have a little fun."

Ginny tried to turn out of his grasp, but his grip tightened, and she suddenly found herself flush against his chest. "I'm going to tell you this just once," Ginny ground out dangerously. "Let me go."

"Come on, beautiful, don't you want to have some fun?"

She tried not to react when she felt his hands beginning to wander over her body. Her wand was tucked inside her top and with her arms trapped against his chest there was no way she could possibly get it out, which was probably a godsend for this moron, because she didn't think she'd be able to resist hexing his balls off if she got her wand in her hand. "I'm warning you!"

"Oi! You! Let her go now!"

Ginny staggered as Robert was pulled backwards. She immediately looked around for her savior and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Draco's platinum hair on the other side of Robert.

Robert turned and poked Draco in the chest. "What's your problem, mate?"

Ginny cleared her throat. "Meet my best friend."

"Sod off!" Draco ordered as he gave the uncouth man a shove. "She's out of your league."

Robert glared at Draco, and then turned his drunken gaze on Ginny one last time before staggering away.

"You took your time," Ginny commented irritably as she straightened her clothes.

"Sorry, I was a bit distracted," Draco admitted.

"Oh?"

Draco smirked nefariously.

"You're kidding? You weren't seriously—"

His eyebrows quirked up and down cheekily.

"You are disgusting, you know that, right?"

"If she's willing—"

"She's a slut!"

"My favorite type."

"I'll bet you don't even remember her name, if you asked it to begin with."

"I did," Draco stated defensively.

"Well?"

"It's—err— It's not important right now," Draco claimed. "All that matters is that you're all right after that troll mauled you."

"I'm fine," Ginny clarified. "What's her name?"

"I don't remember, all right?" Draco snapped. "Besides, you're one to talk. Look at the type of men you pick up. I'm forever rescuing you."

"And how many times have I had to pretend I'm you're wife, so some past conquest will run away?" Ginny posed.

"Not that often."

Ginny's hands went to her hips, and she looked at him questioningly.

"Okay, then… There were a couple of times I needed you to bail me out, but not nearly as often as I rescue you."

"Only because you don't wait to be asked; you just assume I can't deal with the problem and go into 'knight in shining armor' mode."

"Well, if you chose your conquests a little more carefully, I wouldn't have to jump in," Draco pointed out.

"As if you can tell the difference between good and bad," Ginny goaded.

"I know what's best for you," Draco retorted stubbornly.

"You've got no idea! Honestly, you can't pick a decent partner for yourself! How on earth are you going to pick one for me?" Ginny laughed loudly. "I know exactly what you should be looking for, but it's exactly what you avoid."

"I don't avoid anything!"

Ginny rolled her eyes expressively. "If you don't count any conversation that goes beyond 'are you wearing knickers?'"

"At least it's more polite than, 'How big is your dick?'" Draco countered.

"I don't need to ask that question," Ginny replied smugly. "I just look at how big their feet are."

A horrified expression crossed Draco's face as she looked toward the floor and his feet.

"Mmm…" she teased with a cheeky grin.

"Don't go there, Weasley!" Draco warned as he shuffled his feet.

"No need to panic, darling, I'm not that desperate."

"As if I'd lower myself," Draco scoffed playfully.

Ginny punched him in the arm good-naturedly. "You're going to have to buy me a drink now, because no one is going to come near me for the rest of the night thanks to you."

"I have a better idea," Draco claimed. "Let's get out of here."

"That's right, you've had your shag, so you're ready for bed now," Ginny mocked. "Well, I haven't found a shag for the night, so I'm not ready to leave."

"You said yourself no one is going to even buy you a drink now, so don't you think it's a waste of time staying here?"

"And just what am I supposed to do about my frustration?"

Draco leaned forward and gathered her hands in his much larger ones. "You have these."

"You're such a smart arse." Ginny tried, unsuccessfully, to pull her hands away.

"Come on, I need coffee," Draco claimed.

"You go. I'm staying."

"Your brothers would flay me alive if I left you here alone."

"So?"

"So, I don't feel like losing my skin tonight," Draco explained as he walked her towards the door. "I'll even pay for the coffee."

"But I don't—"

"If you don't want coffee, I'll get you a pot of tea," Draco offered quickly.

"You know that's not what I was going to say," Ginny growled.

"I know, but I really didn't want to go through the whole not wanting to leave argument again," Draco said patiently, as he guided her through the door and onto the street. "It gets old rapidly."

Ginny grumbled under her breath about being unsatisfied as Draco led her up the street.

"I tell you what, I'll buy you a pound of chocolate if you shut up about not finding a shag," Draco snarled. "It does the same thing, doesn't it?"

"How did you know about chocolate?"

"There was an article in one of your women's magazines... If you can categorize such filthy publications as magazines."

Ginny flushed bright crimson. "You were reading my magazines?"

"You did take forever in the shower last week," Draco responded casually. "Fascinating reading."

Ginny shook her head. "I don't believe you."

"If you don't want people to know that you're a depraved whore then you shouldn't leave your dirty magazines lying around," Draco pointed out with a smirk.

"I am not! You said yourself that the articles are good."

"Ooh… A little defensive there, aren't we, Weasley?"

"Shut it," Ginny snarled, finally realizing that she was making the situation worse.

"So, who is it that gets you off: the centerfold with his huge cock or the homeboys at the back?"

"It sounds like you paid more attention to what's between the covers than I did," Ginny mused. "Are you sure all this constant skirt chasing and shagging isn't a ploy to hide your real preferences?"

"You're one sick witch, you know that, right?"

"Just checking," Ginny commented. "After all, you might be and just not know it yet."

"I think I'd have figured that out by now, if it were the case," Draco muttered.

"You could be in denial."

Draco let loose a frustrated growl. "Leave it alone. You never know who might be listening."

"Wouldn't want something like your sexuality to make the gossip columns, now would we?"

"Weasley, for the last time, I'm straight. I have never been interested in men in that way," Draco explained curtly.

"That was a bit defensive."

"Like I said before, you never know who is listening, and the last thing I need is some stupid cock-and-bull story to make my life even more hellish."

"Fine, I'll shut up now," Ginny conceded sulkily.

"Thank you," Draco said snootily.

"For goodness sake's," Ginny mumbled disgustedly.

"I would expect you to understand by now," Draco whispered. "After all, we've been friends long enough for you to know how the media persecute people like me."

"That doesn't mean you have to shelve your sense of humor."

"No, but it does mean I have an image to uphold in public."

Ginny's eyes danced wickedly. "Does shagging a slut against a pub wall help with that image upholding thing?"

"Very funny," Draco snapped.

"Touchy," Ginny teased as she poked his ribs.

"Weasley, you're coming very close to paying for your own coffee," Draco warned.

"You're far too much of a gentleman to allow me to pay for my own in _public_," Ginny responded assuredly.

Draco grumbled under his breath about know-it-all witches for a few moments, while Ginny laughed at his antics. It was true; he wouldn't let her pay for her own coffee, because it wasn't the done thing in his circle.

When they reached their favorite coffee shop, Draco held the door open and allowed Ginny to step inside first, as his ingrained manners suggested he should. "After you."

Without waiting Ginny wandered through the small establishment, looking for a suitable table. Her face lit up when she spied her flat mate sitting alone at a corner table. "Luna, what are you doing here at this late hour?"

"Drinking coffee," the blonde witch replied dreamily.

"Ah, Lovegood, I see you're here with all your friends," Draco drawled unkindly.

Ginny's elbow shot out and connected sharply with Draco's stomach. "Be nice," she hissed.

Draco rolled his eyes. "It's not like she notices either way."

The redhead narrowed her eyes to slits and muttered a promise of a torturous, painful death if he didn't behave.

A smirk tugged at Draco's lips, as he held Ginny's chair out for her. He'd heard the threat many times, and had yet to feel her wrath. "Coffee?" he double-checked.

"Please," Ginny answered. "Don't forget the chocolate!"

"We'll find you some chocolate later," Draco promised.

"I feel like something sweet," Ginny complained.

"I'll see what I can find," Draco answered, as he turned towards the counter to place their order.

"What have you been up to tonight?" Ginny asked Luna.

"Nothing much. I finished reading a most interesting article on—"

"We've been to the pub," Ginny cut in, not really wanting to hear anything related to the weird creatures Luna thought existed in the most bizarre locations. "It was so crowded tonight."

"Really?"

"And the talent… Well, there just wasn't much to pick from," Ginny complained. "Not that Draco had a hard time finding someone to shag. I swear, for every decent guy there must be a dozen trollops waiting with their knickers around their ankles and their legs already spread!"

Luna looked at her sympathetically. "You'll find someone one day."

"Not if Draco keeps scaring them away," Ginny admitted ruefully.

"I only scare away the trolls impersonating octopi," Draco stated as he sat next to Ginny.

"Did you get me something sweet?"

"I might have," Draco taunted.

"Do you two ever give it up?" Blaise asked as he dropped his tall frame into the only vacant chair.

"Where did you materialize from?" Draco demanded, a little shaken by the sudden intrusion.

"Just arrived."

"Your cheek is red," Luna observed absently.

Blaise's hand went to his face automatically and he rubbed the raw flesh. "Had a little run in with a bitchy brunette."

Draco snorted in an undignified manner.

"I suppose you think it's funny," Blaise snapped irritably.

"Hilarious," Ginny managed before bursting into raucous laughter with Draco.

"It's not like you had a successful night," Blaise jibed. "You wouldn't be here, if you got lucky."

"Well, I didn't." Ginny sighed heavily.

Draco stared at Blaise with a smug expression firmly painted on his features. He didn't need to say anything, especially when Ginny could convey all the details Blaise needed to know in just one groan.

"What the hell are you doing here then?" Blaise enquired.

"She wasn't the type you invite home for breakfast," Draco answered simply.

Ginny snorted in an unladylike fashion. "She was more the type you might catch something from."

Blaise cringed. "You really ought to set some standards, mate."

"I will, when you do," Draco countered.

"You know that's never going to happen," Blaise joked.

"You two are disgusting," Ginny voiced strongly.

"No more than you _want_ to be," Draco responded smartly.

"As if you let me," Ginny complained.

"You'd like me to leave you to the trolls, would you?" Draco posed. "That guy who was mauling you tonight would have been a prize catch. I'm sure your family would have been so proud of you, if you brought him home."

"Yeah, well… I'd love to see your mother's face if she ever saw you with one of your little tarts," Ginny retorted.

"My mother has nothing to do with this," Draco ground out.

"Oh, is she hounding you again?" Ginny asked with mock innocence.

"Don't go there," Draco warned.

Ginny laughed and leaned towards the other two occupants of the small table. "Draco's mummy wants him to get married," she pretended to whisper.

"Ginevra," Draco snarled.

"I think I'm in trouble," Ginny mouthed to Luna and Blaise.

"It's not like we don't know that your mother's been giving you a hard time for a few years," Blaise commented.

"The rest of wizarding Britain doesn't need to know," Draco growled.

"That's probably why he's attracted to the wrong sort of women," Luna mentioned absently.

"What?" Draco questioned with a deep frown.

"You're afraid of commitment, and you know the minute you get someone who might be close to marriage material your mother will really start on you, and you'll feel obligated to marry," Luna explained in a vague tone.

"That's rubbish," Draco refuted. "I do not have commitment issues."

"Of course not," Ginny agreed. "That's why you haven't had a relationship that's lasted longer than four hours. Are you still leaving the servants to deal with the ones that sleep late?"

"I'm a busy man," Draco snapped. "I can't wait around all day for them to wake up."

"Especially when you'd rather not see them again," Ginny added. "You wouldn't have so much trouble, if you chose your shags more carefully."

Draco sighed impatiently. "Haven't we already gone over this tonight?"

"And we'll keep going over it, until you admit that I know what you need better than you do," Ginny answered.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying just as hard as my mother to marry me off," Draco said dryly.

"No, I'm not trying to marry you off." Ginny reached over and placed her small hand on his large one. "But I would like you to find someone decent."

"I want you to find someone too… Someone you'll be safe with and who will respect you," Draco whispered.

Their eyes met, and more was said silently than could ever be expressed with mere words.

A groan from Blaise followed by retching noises broke the moment.

"Do you mind not making a scene?" Draco hissed.

"Do you mind not getting all mushy and disgusting?" Blaise responded as he straightened up. "It's really unbecoming."

Draco opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again as their order arrived.

"Chocolate cake!" Ginny squealed delightedly. "I love you!"

"Only when I buy you chocolate cake," Draco answered sarcastically as he passed a generous slice of the rich dessert to her.

"At least you're loved some of the time," Ginny responded with a smile. "If you let me pick a girlfriend for you, you'd be loved all of the time."

"My girlfriends love me," Draco argued.

"Until they figure out that you're never going to owl them," Ginny added through a mouthful of cake.

"I never make any promises," Draco pointed out.

"You should pick a partner for each other," Luna said from behind her coffee mug.

A frown instantly creased Draco's forehead. "What?"

"You think you know what's best for Ginny, and she knows what's best for you, so you should pick each other's dates," Luna explained.

"Just what would that achieve?" Draco inquired.

"Ginny would be dating someone you approve of and wouldn't pull off her or scare away, and you would be with someone who you might have a future with," Luna replied dreamily. "Your mum wouldn't bother you about getting married if you were seeing someone with potential, would she?"

Draco looked at the other two occupants of the table. He could never quite understand why Ginny was friends with Lovegood. Ginny was a strong, intelligent woman with a good sense of who she is and what she wants. Luna Lovegood, on the other hand, was the strangest person he'd ever encountered; on more than one occasion he'd had cause to wonder if she wasn't mentally defective.

"She's actually making sense for a change," Blaise said as Draco's eyes landed on his.

"You've got to be kidding?" Draco responded, his face growing more screwed up.

"Think about it for a minute," Blaise insisted. "You don't like the kind of men Ginny seems attracted to and you often spend nights at the pub watching her for just the right moment to step in and pull the animals off. You don't relax while you're out. If you were to pick her date, you'd be able to control who she was with, which would enable you to have a good time as well."

"Go on," Draco encouraged. The idea was growing on him fast. What Blaise said was true: he didn't truly relax when he was out with Ginny, because she attracted the worst type of men and often needed his assistance to discourage them.

"You need to get your mother off your back, and the only way to do that is to make her think you're doing something about seeking out the right type of woman to marry. If you were seeing someone who could fulfill the role of a Malfoy wife, she'd back off and let nature take its course, wouldn't she?"

"Possibly," Draco mused more to himself than his audience.

Blaise shrugged and picked up his coffee. "It makes perfect sense to me."

"Hang on," Ginny blurted. "Are you suggesting that I should let him pick my dates for me?"

"If Draco picked your dates, he wouldn't be interrupting halfway through the evening, and you might even manage to get a shag," Blaise pointed out.

"That has merit, I suppose," Ginny uttered.

Draco shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. It was time to change the subject before they agreed to anything foolish. "Are you coming to dinner this Wednesday?"

"Is your father likely to be there?" Ginny asked cautiously.

"Mother would be delighted to see you," Draco tried with a charming smile.

"So your father is likely to be there then?" Ginny said, ignoring his attempt to be charming.

"Ginny, come on," Draco pleaded. "You know Mother loves to see you."

"Will you come to lunch on Sunday?" Ginny posed.

"I—err— I'm pretty sure I have plans for Sunday," Draco stammered. Just the thought of going to the Burrow for Sunday lunch was enough to give him nightmares for a year; the experience would probably see him in therapy for life.

"What a shame," Ginny said, sounding genuinely remorseful. "I think I'm busy on Wednesday night."

"Ginevra, dinner with my parents is hardly the same thing as lunch with your family," Draco reminded her.

"You're right, of course," Ginny agreed. "Dinner with your father is far more horrifying."

Draco rolled his eyes expressively. "Well, one would think you'd know how to use cutlery properly by this stage of your life."

"I do know how to use cutlery properly, thank you very much," Ginny retorted.

"Really?" Draco quirked an eyebrow quizzically. "Tell me the difference between a caviar spoon and a spork then?"

"Here they go again," Blaise muttered loudly.

"The best tool for the job, my mother always said," Ginny answered.

"Only because she doesn't know the difference either," Draco mumbled. "And tell me, when is it appropriate to giggle at the dinner table?"

"If you don't want me to get the giggles, then tell your father not to glare at me," Ginny responded sulkily. "I can't help it if I find his efforts amusing."

"It wouldn't be so bad if you stopped shoveling food into your mouth while you were giggling, you know?" Draco sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as memories of past dinners came back to him. It really was more trouble than it was worth to have her attend, but he enjoyed the company, and his mother adored her, for reasons unbeknown to him.

"That wasn't my fault!" Ginny placed her coffee cup on the table with a thud. "I thought I had myself under control."

"Apparently, you were wrong," Draco replied matter-of-factly.

"Aren't you two bored of this argument?" Blaise questioned impatiently. "You have it every week."

"We do not," Draco contested.

"You do so," Blaise responded patiently. "The least you could do is come up with new arguments for your respective cases, so it's not so boring to listen to."

"What do you suggest?" Ginny posed crankily.

Blaise's forehead creased as ideas ran through his head, and then a smile began to tug at his lips as a particularly delicious plan took shape. "I have an idea, but you both have to promise to hear me out."

Draco and Ginny looked at each other for confirmation, and then nodded their acquiescence.

"I'm going back to the dating idea," Blaise started. "To make it a little more interesting and to ensure you both put some honest effort in, you need a little incentive, right?"

"Not necessarily," Draco drawled.

Blaise waved off the comment casually. "Ginny, if you find Draco a decent girlfriend and manage to get his mother off his back for a bit, he will agree to come to Sunday lunch for a month without argument."

Ginny nodded as a smile formed on her mouth.

"What do I get, besides the torture her family inflicts upon me?" Draco demanded.

"If you manage to find Ginny a boyfriend, who isn't a depraved animal, she will attend Wednesday night dinners with your parents, whether your father is there or not, for a month without complaint," Blaise informed him.

"And what do you get from this arrangement?" Draco inquired suspiciously.

"I get to sit here and drink my coffee in peace and not have to listen to the same foolish argument for a whole month, once the bet is won," Blaise answered, seemingly pleased with himself.

"What if we both find the other a partner?" Ginny asked.

"Then you're both obligated to attend dinner or lunch with the other," Blaise confirmed.

"This might be worth it," Draco muttered thoughtfully. He'd love to get someone he could trust with his best friend's virtue and heart.

Ginny eyed Draco curiously. She wondered if he'd really be open to meeting the type of women she thought he should be spending time with, rather than the type who were only good for shagging. "You'd honestly make an effort?"

"Of course," Draco answered. "What makes you think I wouldn't?"

"You might not agree with the type of women I pick for you," Ginny told him.

"There would have to be some ground rules in place, so you both play fairly," Blaise interrupted.

"All right," Draco granted. "Like what?"

"You both have to agree to be honest in your opinions about potential partners," Blaise said.

"Of course," Ginny answered.

"Draco?" Blaise looked expectantly across the table.

"Why wouldn't I be honest?" Draco snapped.

Blaise looked at him, raising an eyebrow as the silence dragged on.

"All right, honesty at all times," Draco growled, dissatisfied.

"We can always get a hold of some Veritaserum, if necessary," Blaise added.

"That might be a good idea," Ginny muttered. She knew only too well how Draco hated to lose anything, and this was a situation where he could deny his attraction to someone just to win.

"Or you could make a magical contract," Luna suggested vacantly.

The other three occupants of the table turned to look at the blonde witch with surprise etched into their features. If any of them had been asked whether they thought Luna was aware of the conversation they were having, not one of them could have answered yes, but here she was, apparently, all too aware of what was happening and, suddenly, contributing to the conversation in an intelligent manner.

"That would be better than Veritaserum," Draco agreed. "A lot less problematic to organize."

"It's settled then," Blaise concluded. "A magical contract will be drawn up. I'll take care of that in the morning for you."

"Just make it fair," Draco warned.

"It will be… To both of you," Blaise answered.

"So where are we going to find potential candidates?" Ginny asked. Best friend or not, she was reluctant to set any of her female friends up with Draco, because his track record for breaking hearts was near perfect.

"There's the pub, work, other friends, people we come across…" Draco started.

"We need to know something about the people, so we know whether they'd be a good match," Ginny pointed out. "I'm not going to be sending you shags."

"Personal advertisements," Luna mumbled into her cup.

"What was that, Lovegood?" Draco asked.

"The Daily Prophet has a personal column. You could both place advertisements in there," Luna expanded.

"That would give us a chance to screen everyone," Ginny mused.

"You could write an ad for each other," Blaise suggested.

"Mmm…" Ginny pondered aloud. "We could leave all the setting up to the other person."

"We'd have to check each other's schedule before we set up any dates," Draco added.

"That goes without saying, but we pretty much know what the other is doing on a daily basis," Ginny said.

"This is true," Draco conceded. There wasn't a day that passed that he didn't talk to her.

"It's settled then," Blaise said with finality. "I'll draw up the contract in the morning, and you two can sign it over lunch."

"That's not something that should be done in public," Draco pointed out.

"Looks like you girls are cooking lunch tomorrow," Blaise said with a cheeky smirk.

"Why don't we come to your place, Blaise?" Ginny asked. "I wouldn't want to put you out; after all, you're generously drawing up the contract."

"No bother at all," Blaise assured her. "Besides, I can't cook and you can. I need to get a decent meal into me sometime this week, so I'm inviting myself to your place."

"Typical." Ginny sighed and started planning what she'd need to feed the two men.

"Are you finished your coffee?" Draco asked Ginny.

"Yes, all done."

"I'll see you home then," Draco offered. "Luna, you're welcome to accompany us."

Luna looked up, surprised, as if she just realized where she was. "I think I might stay," she answered, looking around the coffee shop.

"I'll see you at home," Ginny said as she stood up.

"What time is lunch?" Blaise asked.

"Around midday," Ginny answered. "I'll see you then."

"I'll be there." Blaise grinned broadly. "Malfoy."

"Zabini." Draco dipped his head a little before leading Ginny away.

They walked a short way down the street, so they were away from the café before Apparating. Accustomed to traveling together, Draco and Ginny landed in front of Ginny's flat only a foot away from each other. Draco walked to the door and held his hand out for the keys. Ginny obliged as soon as she found them in her bag.

"Do you want to come in for a bit?" Ginny asked.

"No, thanks anyway. I'm actually feeling a bit weary," Draco answered.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," Ginny said. "Is there anything you'd especially like for lunch?"

"Just don't let Lovegood near the kitchen," Draco responded. Though he had a smile on his face, the comment was serious.

"I promise."

"Good." Draco leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on Ginny's cheek. "Goodnight, Ginny."

"Night, Draco."

"Inside with you then," Draco insisted, not moving away.

Ginny rolled her eyes, but moved inside the flat.

"Close the door and lock it," Draco instructed.

"I'm getting there, fuss pot," Ginny replied.

Draco waited until he heard the locks fall into place, then he rested his head against the door. "Sleep tight, Weasley."

"Don't let the bed bugs bite, Malfoy," came from behind the door.

Just before he could chuckle aloud, Draco disappeared with a deep pop.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	2. The Contract

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little._

_**Author's Notes**__: Written for scarlettrayne2 for t__he Fall 2008 __dgficexchange. Huge thank you to my beta, rainpuddle13, for her patience, commentary and skill._

**TRUTH WILL OUT**

**THE CONTRACT**

"Our bellies are full, so isn't it about time we got down to business?" Blaise asked, looking around at what was left of the veritable feast Ginny had prepared.

"I guess so," Ginny agreed.

"You included everything we spoke about this morning?" Draco inquired.

"Absolutely," Blaise answered, as he retrieved the contract he'd spent the morning preparing and a quill from his cloak.

"It's so romantic," Luna said dreamily.

Draco frowned in the direction of the blonde. "What is?"

"The two of you finding life partners for each other," Luna explained. "Only those closest to us can see what we really need."

"We're just—" Draco shook his head, deciding not to continue when the ditzy blonde gazed at him with a blank expression. "Never mind."

"Here you go," Blaise said, placing the contract on the table between Draco and Ginny.

"Very professional," Draco commented. The contract appeared just as any business agreement would with what appeared to be well-worded clauses and the like.

"Did you expect anything less?" Blaise queried.

"Of course not," Draco responded.

"You both need to sign it here." Blaise pointed to the two blank lines at the bottom of the parchment. "Once you do that, you're bound by the contract above."

Ginny picked up the quill laying next to the parchment and made ready to sign, but Draco snatched the quill out of her hand.

"You don't sign anything without reading it first, Weasley," Draco instructed. "Do you have any idea what may happen if you break the contract?"

"I trust Blaise," Ginny countered, reaching for the quill again.

Draco held his hand above his head and the quill, effectively, out of her reach. "More fool you then."

"Why would he do anything horrid to us?"

"Because it would amuse him," Draco replied, picking up the parchment. "We read first, then we sign, if we're happy with the contract."

She shook her head in disgust, but ceased her efforts to claim the quill. "Trust is the basis of friendship."

"Have you forgotten that I roomed with him for seven years at Hogwarts?" Draco asked. "I know what I'm doing."

"Fine. _You_ read it, and when _you're_ happy, we'll sign our lives away," Ginny muttered as she began clearing the table.

"Weasley, I wouldn't mind a bit more of that apple pie thing you made," Blaise said as she left the table.

"Sure, there's plenty left," Ginny answered, smiling. The apple pie she'd made had been a disaster; the top crust had fallen apart, so she'd turned it into an apple crumble of sorts and both men thought it was absolutely ingenious, not to mention delicious. "Draco, do you want another slice?"

"Please," Draco mumbled as his eyes roamed over the contract.

"I'll help," Luna offered, following Ginny into the kitchen empty handed.

Apart from the occasional mutter from Draco as he read the contract, the dining room was silent. Blaise knew better than to disturb him while he was concentrating on something as important as the consequences of what he was about to do.

Ginny only took a few minutes to serve the boys more dessert and return to the dining room. She placed the plates on the table and removed more dirty dishes.

"Thanks," Blaise whispered.

Draco made a non-committal grunt when he realized food had been placed in front of him.

"You're welcome," Ginny said before returning to the kitchen.

The next time Ginny returned to the table to continue clearing the mess Draco frowned at her. She poked her tongue at him and made certain that the two dishes she'd picked up clashed loud enough to irritate him, but not so hard that it would damage them.

"Weasley," Draco warned.

"Remind me to buy your secretary a gift," Ginny said, shaking her head at him. "Perhaps a medal would be appropriate."

"Whatever for?" Draco asked irritably.

"The woman deserves a medal for putting up with the grumpy bastard she works for," Ginny responded facetiously as she left the room.

Blaise laughed aloud. "She's got you there."

"Shut up," Draco grumbled, returning his full attention back to the contract.

One last snort from Blaise earned him a deadly glare from the blond wizard before the room fell silent again. There was a little noise coming from the kitchen as Ginny and Luna set the dishes to wash, but this didn't appear to bother Draco too much.

"Cup of tea would be nice, Weasley," Draco called as he placed the contract back on the table.

"You know where everything is," Ginny returned cheekily.

"I might, but you make the best cup of tea in Britain, and I don't want to insult you with my shameful effort," Draco answered.

"Do you actually think that'll work?" Ginny asked as she appeared in the doorway.

Draco shrugged. "It's worth a try."

"I'll make the tea," Luna offered from the other room.

"Thanks, Luna," Ginny replied as Draco's face screwed up.

"Make sure she remembers to put the tea in this time," Draco whispered.

"Leave her alone," Ginny snapped in a hushed tone.

"Well, tea without tea _in_ it is just milky hot water," Draco responded, wrinkling his nose.

"She forgot _once_," Ginny insisted.

"That was one time too many," Draco told her seriously.

"Enough," Ginny hissed. "Now, did you find the contract acceptable?"

"There doesn't seem to be a problem with it," Draco answered pretentiously.

Ginny slapped his shoulder as she sat down.

"Oww!"

"I told you, I'm going to beat that attitude out of you eventually," Ginny said.

Blaise sniggered behind his hand. "You know, you should just take him into the alley and give him a good beating once—"

"She doesn't need any ideas from you," Draco growled.

"Just trying to be helpful," Blaise commented in a show of mock innocence.

"So we can sign it then?" Ginny enquired.

"I can't see why not," Draco said, and then cringed as he waited for the blow.

Ginny slapped him lightly. "A simple yes would have done."

"Don't you want to know the details?" Draco asked, utterly horrified that she already had the quill poised over the parchment.

"You said it was all right!"

"Yes, but you still need to decide whether you want to be party to such an agreement," Draco said patiently. "You should read it."

"Why don't you just tell me what I need to know?" Ginny returned impatiently.

"Fine," Draco grumbled. He picked up the contract and scanned it quickly for the most pertinent points. "Basically, we must find a selection of dates for each other and set up appointments to meet these people. We must be honest in our assessment of each candidate when we report back to the other or—"

"Or what?"

"Or we will be afflicted with colored skin," Draco finished.

Ginny frowned. "Colored skin?"

"I'm rather impressed with my creativeness," Blaise boasted. "Draco will turn red and gold, and you will turn green and silver."

"How long does it last?"

"Until you tell the truth," Blaise informed her.

"Impressive," Ginny complimented him.

"Thank you." Blaise preened.

"This contract is only good for thirty days," Draco added. "So from the day we sign we'll be bound until the thirtieth day has passed."

"I won't need thirty days to find you someone," Ginny complained. "I know exactly what I'm looking for."

"If we should find 'true love' before that time has elapsed, the contract then becomes void," Draco clarified.

"Sounds good to me," Ginny announced, reaching for the contract.

"You're sure?" Draco questioned, holding the parchment just out of her reach.

"Yes, I'm sure," Ginny assured him. "Unless you're going to chicken out."

"Not at all," Draco snapped, clearly affronted.

"Well, either sign it or hand it over, so I can sign it," Ginny demanded.

"Fine," Draco snarled, reaching into his breast pocket for a quill.

"With the one I provided, mate," Blaise instructed. "Magical contract, magical ink."

"Of course," Draco muttered, holding his hand out for the correct quill.

"Here you go," Ginny said. "Sign your heart into my capable hands."

A small frown flitted across Draco's brow, but it disappeared as he snatched the quill from Ginny's hand. In less than a second, he'd scrawled his signature on one of the vacant lines at the bottom of the contract. "Your turn."

Ginny smiled as she accepted the quill and pulled the contract across the table. Careful not to smudge Draco's signature, Ginny left her own mark on the page, and then passed the contract back to Blaise. "That didn't hurt a bit."

"Not yet at least," Draco mumbled.

"Aww, trust me, darling," Ginny crooned, reaching over to stroke Draco's head. "I know what's best for you."

Draco shrugged away from her hands. "You sound like my mother."

"We have a lot in common," Ginny stated matter-of-factly.

"What could you possibly have in common with my mother?" Draco asked incredulously.

"You," Ginny answered simply.

"All right, I'll give you that," Draco conceded. "I am rather important."

"In your own mind," Blaise muttered.

"Everyone is important," Luna said as she set the teapot on the table.

"Some more than others," Draco added.

"Stop it, or I shall be forced to poison your tea, rather than sweeten it," Ginny whispered.

"I'm terrified," Draco mocked almost silently.

Ginny sighed heavily and shook her head. Just to be certain that Luna hadn't forgotten to put the tea in the pot, Ginny poured everyone a cup. The last thing she needed right now was for Draco to have another excuse to be rude to her flat mate.

"Are you going to place advertisements in the Daily Prophet?" Blaise queried.

"I think that's probably the best way to proceed," Draco answered. "I took a glance at the personal columns this morning, and they seem quite popular."

Blaise nodded thoughtfully. "That'll give you two days to get your adverts sorted before the Prophet's office opens for submissions again."

"Why don't we have breakfast on Monday morning and place our ads before we go to work?" Draco suggested.

"Sounds like a plan." Ginny smiled across the table. "Of course, it'll have to be an early breakfast."

"No problem," Draco said casually. "What time does your shift start?"

"Eight o'clock."

"Breakfast at six-thirty then?"

"I'll be awake." Ginny grinned. "Will you?"

"Don't worry about me," Draco replied smugly. "I have servants to wake me up."

"If only we all had ugly, scaly creatures to give us a wake up call," Ginny mused humorously. "Mind you, they're probably a damn sight more attractive than some of the women you've woken up next to in the past."

"Ouch." Blaise chuckled.

Draco held his hand over his heart. "You wound me, Weasley."

"If the truth hurts…" Ginny trailed off, not feeling the need to finish the sentence.

"It's a wonder you two are friends at all," Blaise stated as Draco opened his mouth to respond to Ginny. "All you do is pick at each other."

"We do not," Ginny argued.

"You do too," Blaise countered. "You're constantly at each other's throats. I swear it's like watching an old married couple."

"Don't be ridiculous," Draco snapped.

Blaise shook his head sadly. "If you don't believe me, ask anyone."

"Luna?" Ginny prompted.

"I think it's sweet," Luna said. "You know each other so well that you can say anything to each other without being offensive."

"Sweet?" Draco almost choked. "Our—our—"

"Relationship?" Ginny offered.

"Yeah, that—_that_ is sweet?" Draco finished.

"Yes," Luna answered as a confused frown crossed her face. "Why wouldn't it be sweet?"

"Because it's not," Draco protested vehemently. "It's anything but!"

"All right, I think we'll leave this conversation right there," Ginny interrupted strongly. "We wouldn't want anyone throwing a tantrum," she continued under her breath.

"On that note, I might get going," Blaise announced. "I have a date tonight."

"With your mother," Draco supplied derisively.

"At least I'm taking my mother, which is more than I can say for you," Blaise retorted.

"My father is escorting my mother," Draco pointed out. "This leaves me free to—"

"To come and keep me company," Blaise almost pleaded.

Draco pulled a face to convey his disgust at the idea.

"I know you were invited," Blaise pressed.

"I was," Draco confirmed. "But that doesn't mean I want to spend the evening having ugly, eligible women shoved down my throat by my mother and her friends."

"I'll protect you," Blaise offered.

"Where are you going tonight?" Ginny asked curiously.

"I told you last week, Weasley," Draco reminded her. "The Parkinson's are having a dinner party."

"Oh right." Ginny nodded. "The one you don't want to go to, but have to because you're expected to."

"That's the one," Draco declared.

"If you're already accepted the invitation it would be rude not to attend," Ginny pointed out.

"Yes, I am aware of that," Draco said patiently.

"So, you are coming," Blaise stated excitedly. "Excellent! We can fend off the ugly women together."

Draco shook his head amusedly. "It takes so little to make him happy."

"If you sucked my—"

"There are ladies present," Draco warned, knowing exactly what path his friend's mind was going to take.

"I was just pointing out that I could be happier," Blaise answered as innocently as he could manage.

"Weren't you leaving?" Draco queried.

"Yes, I was," Blaise confirmed. "Mother will have a fit if I'm late."

Draco checked his timepiece. "I should get moving myself. I'm meeting my parents at home before we go to the dinner party."

"How charming," Blaise teased. "You're attending as a family."

"Drop it," Draco snapped. "Mother simply wants—"

"To make sure you get there," Blaise finished.

"Something like that," Draco confessed. "Where will you be tonight, Weasley?"

"I'm not sure," Ginny answered. "We're supposed to be going out with a group of friends."

Draco nodded thoughtfully. "If we get released early enough, I might hunt you down."

"No problem. We'll be at one of the pubs until late."

"If I don't manage it, I'll talk to you tomorrow night," Draco promised.

"Not coming to lunch?" Ginny teased.

"I'll give it a miss, thanks anyway," Draco responded.

Ginny laughed. "It won't be long until you have to come."

"I'm not intending to lose, Weasley."

"I never said you were going to _purposefully_ lose," Ginny replied innocuously.

"Don't get too confident," Draco drawled as he stood up.

"I'm not." Ginny winked playfully at him.

"Thank you for lunch. It was wonderful as usual," Draco said appreciatively before placing a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"You're welcome."

"If I don't catch up with you tonight, I'll see you for breakfast on Monday morning."

"I'll be there."

"Zabini, are you coming or are you going to sit there all day?" Draco inquired.

"I'm coming," Blaise said. "I don't think I could handle one of Mother's tantrums today."

"Lovegood," Draco intoned politely. "As always, it was an adventure."

"See you later, Draco," Luna answered vaguely. "Blaise, it was wonderful to have your company."

A short-lived expression of surprise crossed the dark-haired wizard's face. "Likewise."

"Maybe you can join us later this evening as well?" Luna continued.

"I'll see what happens," Blaise answered carefully. "Thanks for lunch, ladies."

As soon as the door closed behind the two wizards, Ginny turned to Luna. "What was that about?"

Luna blinked innocently at her friend. "What?"

"Inviting Blaise to join us tonight," Ginny clarified.

"Oh, I just wanted him to know he was welcome as well."

"He doesn't need an invitation to feel welcome," Ginny pointed out.

"And he's handsome," Luna admitted before escaping to her bedroom.

Ginny stood in the middle of their sitting room shaking her head in dismay. If she read what Luna was saying correctly, then she needed to do all she could to discourage her. The only man she knew who had a worse reputation for womanizing than Draco was Blaise. As she finished cleaning up from lunch, her mind was filled with worry for her friend. Luna's childlike innocence was no match for a man like Blaise Zabini, who would simply use her, and then toss her aside. For now she hoped that Blaise wouldn't act on Luna's infatuation. If he did, she was going to have to step in, because she refused to stand by and allow Luna to be hurt.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	3. No Turning Back

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little._

_**Author's Notes**__: Written for scarlettrayne2 for t__he Fall 2008 __dgficexchange. Huge thank you to my beta, rainpuddle13 for her patience, commentary and skill._

**TRUTH WILL OUT**

**NO TURNING BACK**

"I'm coming," Ginny groaned sleepily as she made her way to the front door.

_Bang… Bang… Bang._

"What?" Ginny demanded as she threw the door open.

"I knew you'd still be in bed, Weasley," Draco drawled. "Come on, we have a breakfast date, woman."

"Do we have to?" Ginny whined. "Wouldn't you prefer to have a piece of toast here?"

"A piece of toast would be lovely, along with bacon, eggs, sausage—"

"Okay, give me five minutes," Ginny interrupted.

"You're cooking?"

"No. You're paying!"

"Typical," Draco muttered under his breath. "Did you write your advert?"

"Yes, did you?" Ginny called from her bedroom.

"Of course," Draco answered.

"Do you still want to go ahead with it?"

"We don't exactly have a choice now, Weasley," Draco reminded her. "Remember that contract you were so eager to sign on Saturday?"

"If we both decided we didn't want to do it, then there wouldn't be any consequences."

"Do you not want to go ahead?"

"I'm fine with it," Ginny replied lightly as she entered the sitting room. "Ready?"

"If you think I'm going anywhere with you looking like that, you can think again," Draco stated.

"I'm going straight to work after breakfast and, despite what you might think, the patients don't really care how I look."

"The least you could do is brush your hair."

"I did."

"Pass me your hairbrush," Draco demanded impatiently.

Ginny dug through her handbag and pulled out a large hairbrush loaded with strands of coppery hair. She placed it into Draco's waiting hand obediently.

"For Merlin's sake woman, you're supposed to clean your brush regularly," Draco declared as he inspected the brush.

"When was the last time you cleaned yours?" Ginny asked impertinently.

"Mine is cleaned every time I use it," Draco answered smartly.

"Not by you," Ginny pointed out.

Draco rolled his eyes at her. "Turn around."

"Be gentle." Ginny turned and waited for the brush to make contact with her head. "Oww!"

"Stand still!" Draco growled. "It's not my fault your hair resembles a bird's nest. How many strokes do you allow it a day?"

"What?"

"Ginevra, you're supposed to brush your hair every day. One hundred strokes a day to be precise."

"Like I have time to be that fussy," Ginny claimed. "I brush it until it's neat."

"This is your idea of neat?"

"It was until you started on it."

"Rubbish! I started because you failed miserably at making it look decent enough to be seen outside your bedroom."

"Fuss pot," Ginny mumbled.

"There is nothing wrong with looking like you haven't just rolled out of bed, Weasley."

"Really? I find that look incredibly sexy," she teased.

"Apparently, it is—" Draco smirked. "—on men, or so I've been told."

"I see… It's one rule for you and another for me again."

"It's not personal, Weasley, so don't get your knickers in a knot," Draco assured her. "Men and women are essentially different, and what you like to see on a man, doesn't necessarily look good on a woman."

"Why not?"

Draco's eyes rotated to the ceiling and he took a deep breath. "If I saw a woman walking down the street with her hair looking like she'd just rolled out of bed I'd think that she didn't care enough to look after herself, and that's a put off right away. Men like women who look after themselves, right down to the basics like brushing their hair."

"I see," Ginny answered sarcastically.

"Are you sure? I can always ask Mother to school you in the finer points of deportment."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to bother her," Ginny replied considerately.

"I'm sure Mother would be delighted to assist you," Draco pressed.

"Draco Malfoy, if you so much as think such a thing in your mother's presence—"

"Yes, I know… You'll hex off my manhood and stuff it down my throat, so I can't laugh at you while my mother tortures you," Draco recited.

"Good, you haven't forgotten."

"I'm never likely to," Draco guaranteed her.

That particular threat had been delivered after she'd made a few gaffes at a society dinner party. While she was still angry with herself, Draco had made the foolish decision to suggest that his mother might help her iron out the kinks in her etiquette skills. The threat had been delivered with terrifying calm and it had given him nightmares for weeks.

Ginny grinned evilly. "Good. Are you done yet? I'm starving!"

"Yes, I suppose you'll do," Draco conceded.

"At last!"

"Have you got everything?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Ginny answered patiently.

"Let's go then."

They headed straight for their favorite breakfast café, where Draco quickly placed their usual order and Ginny claimed their favored table. It wasn't an every day occurrence, but they had breakfast together at least once a week, be it before a busy workday or a relaxing weekend brunch.

Draco joined Ginny at the table with two steaming mugs. "You look like you could do with coffee this morning."

"Thank you," Ginny murmured, as her hands closed around the warm mug.

"Are you going to let me read your ad?" Draco asked casually.

Ginny's eyes rose to meet her friend's. His eyes belied his tone. There was a real pleading quality to the usually cool gray orbs. "No, I don't think so."

"I think you should," Draco commented.

She shook her head, enforcing her original response. "It's probably better if we don't look at what we've written for each other."

"Why?" Draco observed her with a curious stare.

"We'll be tempted to start changing things," Ginny answered. "I'm happy with what I've written, but I know, if you start picking at it, I'll be tempted to change things."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Yes." Ginny frowned. "We're both after a certain type of person to apply, and I know I've written my ad with that in mind — words to attract the exact sort of person I want for you."

"I've done the same, but I don't see why we can't—"

"Draco, how long have we been best friends?" Ginny interrupted calmly.

He thought for a moment, counting the years backwards. "Six years."

"Have I ever done anything to hurt you?"

"No."

"Trust me with this then," Ginny said emotionally. "I'm not going to let you get hurt."

"I'm not—"

"Aren't you?"

Draco sighed. She knew him too well and there was little point in denying that the whole arrangement was beginning to worry him.

"Enough of that," Ginny stated brightly. "How many women did your mother shove at you on Saturday night?"

"I lost count!" Draco ran a hand through his hair as the memories came back to him.

"Anyone of interest?"

"Not a single one," Draco responded. "Some of them were so ugly that they shouldn't be allowed out in public."

"Don't be cruel," Ginny admonished.

"I'm being truthful," Draco insisted. "You can ask Blaise if you don't believe me."

"As if I'd get an honest answer from him." Ginny rolled her eyes. "If they're not willing to spread their legs for him, then they're deemed ugly."

Draco cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow at her. It was bad enough that she'd made that comment in a public place, but to say it while the waitress was placing their meals on the table sent all his ingrained manners into a panic.

"Oh, get over it!"

"It would be nice if you could—"

"Remember I'm in public, and it's unbecoming of a lady to speak that way," Ginny finished for him flatly.

"See, you do remember," Draco said proudly. "Now you just have to employ the advice."

"Hell might freeze over," Ginny muttered.

Draco snorted. "You could just do it for fun. Imagine how many people you'd shock into silence if you acted appropriately?"

"I prefer their red faces when I don't," Ginny replied as she reached over and plucked a piece of bacon from Draco's plate.

"That's another thing," Draco started with a heavy sigh. "If you wanted bacon, I could have easily ordered you some."

"It's all right, I don't mind sharing," Ginny answered with a cheeky smile.

Draco pulled his plate closer to himself. "Just eat your own food, Weasley."

"Merlin, you are grumpy this morning," Ginny observed. "Haven't you had a shag since Friday night?"

"Weasley," Draco hissed across the table.

"You always get grumpy if you go without a shag for too long," Ginny stated smoothly.

"I do not," Draco snarled.

"You do so," Ginny countered. "Listen to yourself now! It's been what? Not even three days and already you're getting antsy."

Draco suddenly leaned back in his chair and smirked at her. "You're doing this deliberately."

"Doing what?" Ginny asked innocently.

"Trying to work me up," Draco stated confidently.

Ginny rolled her eyes in a comical gesture. "You're paranoid."

"Am I?"

"Yes, you are."

"I don't think so."

"Well, if you want to spend the entire day thinking about why I might be working you up — which I'm not — you go right ahead. I won't be wasting my day like that."

"Of course not. You'll be too busy waving your wand over dirty bedpans," Draco quipped.

"What I wouldn't give to get you in a bed on my ward," Ginny mused aloud.

"Is that a proposition, Weasley?"

"Not one you'd want to accept," Ginny warned humorously.

"I don't know," Draco pondered. "Having you look after my _every_ need _all_ day long might be entertaining."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at him. "I really don't think your sensibilities could handle peeing in a bottle while I watched."

"You watch?" Draco screwed his nose up in disgust. "That's really perverted, Weasley."

"It's part of my job." Ginny sighed. "Not a pleasant part, but it's necessary at times."

"I can't imagine why," Draco muttered.

"You don't have to know why," Ginny assured him, knowing the reasons would probably horrify him even more, and she'd be knocking back offers to take a position as his secretary yet again.

Draco was nothing, if not protective of the only woman he truly related to, aside from his mother. The last round of job offers came after a particularly nasty incident at St. Mungo's involving a person who had been abusing illicit potions. He had wanted Ginny out of there immediately, and the only safe position he could think of was in his office, serving him, where he could keep an eye on her all day.

She could see his mind starting to wander over the reasons people had to be watched while they relieved themselves and quickly moved to put a stop to his thinking. "What did you get up to yesterday?"

"I told you last night. I had afternoon tea with my mother."

"Is that all?"

"I slept."

"How exciting," Ginny uttered sarcastically.

"More exciting than lunch with your mob," Draco countered.

"Lunch was great," Ginny argued. "The twins force fed Ron a Canary Cream, Bill and Charlie got Percy drunk, we played Quidditch, Harry fell off his broom—"

"Now that would have been entertaining," Draco interrupted enthusiastically.

"You are so mean," Ginny scolded. "He could have been hurt."

"But he wasn't," Draco pointed out superiorly.

"How do you know?"

"You would have told me by now."

"Well— I might have forgotten to mention—"

"Weasley, go spin your rubbish to someone who doesn't know you." An irritated frown crossed his brow. "If Saint Potter gives himself a paper cut you come over all concerned, and you just have to tell me about it. Why? Because women _have_ to talk when they're worried about something."

Ginny mumbled a few profanities under her breath. Draco was the first to pull her up when she started talking about Harry too much. It wasn't that she wanted to be with him or anything — she'd been there, done that, thank you very much — but sometimes she had a tendency to fuss over him, just as she did her brothers.

"Tell me, how did the mighty Potter come to fall off his broom?"

"Charlie bumped him when they were racing for the Snitch," Ginny answered.

"Remind me to buy him a drink next time we see him."

"Whatever," Ginny muttered, totally unimpressed. "I've got to get moving, or I'll be late for work."

"Indeed," Draco agreed, checking his timepiece. "We've just got enough time to call into the Daily Prophet if they're not busy."

"If they are, I'll do mine at lunchtime."

"You can leave it with me, and I'll make sure it gets—"

"No, I'll do it at lunchtime," Ginny insisted.

"So much for trust," Draco observed as he tried to assist her with her cloak. It was an awkward gesture, as Ginny had never quite mastered the art of letting someone else drape her cloak around her shoulders.

"It's not that I don't trust you, Draco," Ginny said softly when she turned to face him. "I simply don't want to put you in a position where you'll be tempted to do something not entirely befitting of the level of trust I've bestowed upon you."

Draco raised an eyebrow and tried hard to fight off the urge to laugh. "Percy help you with that?"

"No," Ginny answered quickly.

A small chuckle escaped from Draco. She got defensive when she lied. "Tell the truth, Weasley."

"I am telling the truth, Malfoy," Ginny insisted in singsong voice. "Now, if you're coming to the paper with me, get moving."

"Pushy bint," Draco snarled in good humor as they made their way out of the café.

The Daily Prophet offices were only a few doors down, so it took them only minutes to reach their front doors. Draco held the door open in a gentlemanly gesture and ushered Ginny through first. She rushed up to the front counter, not bothering to wait for him, and gained the attention of the young wizard behind the counter.

"I'd like to place this in the personal section," Ginny said, pushing a piece of folded parchment forward.

"How long and at what frequency would you like the advertisement to run?" the wizard asked.

"Oh—umm—" Ginny frowned and turned to Draco. "How long are we going to—"

"The contract runs for a month, so why don't we run the ads for a month and, to increase our chances of finding someone, we can allow them to be printed every day," Draco answered smoothly.

Ginny shrugged. "All right."

"Clients usually run their ads once a week," the wizard advised them after over hearing their conversation.

"We're not your usual customers," Draco informed him strongly.

"There's a lot at stake here," Ginny claimed.

"I see," the young man uttered uncertainly. "Is it just the one ad?"

"No, there are two." Draco produced his efforts on a neat square of parchment.

"Well, that's two ads in thirty publications… I'll just get a costing for you." The young wizard rushed into the offices behind the front counter.

"You'd think they'd have all this worked out," Draco commented.

"I think we just threw him for a loop," Ginny answered with a smile. "After all, we're asking for more than normal."

"Perhaps," Draco muttered, discontent evident in his tone.

"Patience is a virtue," Ginny sang.

"I see nothing virtuous about being patient with an imbecile," Draco responded curtly.

"He's not an imbecile," Ginny retorted in a hushed tone. "He's just checking to make sure he charges us the right amount."

"If he's working this counter, he should know the charges off the top of his head," Draco insisted loudly. "He wouldn't last a day working for me."

"He can thank the deities he doesn't then, can't he?" Ginny rejoined.

"That was uncalled for," Draco commented, a little hurt showing in his voice.

"Was it?" Ginny looked at him expectantly. "I don't think so, Mr. Superiority."

Draco frowned for a moment, and then his expression changed to one of deep thought. He nodded a little to himself as his thoughtful expression vanished.

"What?" Ginny asked abruptly.

"Chocolate?"

Ginny's eyes narrowed to slits. "Why would I want chocolate?"

"You told me that you crave chocolate around this time," Draco explained cautiously.

"Oh? And what is this _time_?" Ginny asked with an edge of danger to her voice.

"You know," Draco uttered uncomfortably.

"No, I don't know," Ginny replied innocently. "You'll have to tell me."

Draco glanced around to make sure they were alone. "It's your grumpy time," he whispered hurriedly.

Deep down she was furious at him for assuming her bad mood wasn't his fault, but his expression was too much for her. He treated women's issues like taboo subjects that might bite him if he spoke of them too openly, yet he was the first to cast a heating charm or rub her back when she needed such pampering. "Are you sure?"

"I keep count," Draco answered confidently.

"You know, you really want to be sure of the source of the irritation before commenting like that, because if you're wrong it means I get to torture you for longer before I kill you," Ginny warned with a nefarious grin.

"I'm sure," Draco replied, suddenly not sounding convinced.

"Why don't you get back to me on that?" Ginny advised as the young wizard from the newspaper appeared again.

"It'll be sixty Galleons for each advert for the month," the wizard informed them.

"Ouch." Ginny frowned.

"Not a problem," Draco said smoothly as he reached for his coin bag.

"Don't you get tired carrying all that around?" Ginny inquired.

"It comes in handy at times like this, doesn't it?" Draco responded dryly.

"I'll pay you back," Ginny offered.

"No need." Draco smiled briefly before turning his attention to the young wizard. "How does this work?"

"Each advertisement is assigned a private owl box, so no one is ever given your contact details unless you give them out personally. For an additional Knut per owl we can forward your owls to save you coming into the office to pick them up."

"We'll have the forwarding as well," Draco decided without consulting Ginny.

The wizard shuffled through some files behind him and produced a couple of forms. "I'll just get you to fill out these forms to set that up."

Draco pulled two quills out of his cloak and handed one to Ginny with a form. He went to work immediately, filling in the required details in his neat, even script. When he was finished he handed the form back to the newspaper wizard and deliberately placed the ad he'd composed on top of the form.

"That one is—"

"I know," Draco cut him off. "That is the ad I will be screening the replies for."

"I see," the wizard uttered.

"Weasley, are you finished yet?"

"Just a second," Ginny muttered as she put the finishing touches on her last answer. "There!"

Draco's eyes wandered over her form. He had intended to quickly check the details she'd given, but found himself unable to read what she'd scrawled over the parchment. "No one is going to be able to read that, Weasley."

"There's nothing wrong with it," Ginny replied.

He shook his head. "Can we have another form?" Draco asked of the newspaper wizard.

With a shrug, the wizard reached for another form. Draco quickly filled in Ginny's details and passed it back to the waiting wizard.

"At least they'll be able to read that copy," Draco said.

"There was nothing wrong with mine," Ginny defended herself.

"Nothing at all, if you're trying to impersonate a Healer and don't want anyone to be able to decipher what you've written," Draco commented.

"For goodness sakes," Ginny hissed under her breath.

Draco ignored her as he paid the advertising fee. After receiving a receipt of payment, a copy of their forwarding arrangements and an assurance from the young man that the ads would be run starting with tomorrow's edition, they left the office. Ginny stopped just outside the door.

"I need to get to work," she said abruptly. "I meant what I said about paying you back too."

"I told you there's no need. I'm quite happy to pay for the ads," Draco insisted. "Why don't you use the money to buy yourself some new robes?"

"Are you suggesting there's something wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"I meant something appropriate to go on a date."

"We'll see," Ginny muttered without conviction. "I have to go."

"Have a nice day, Weasley," Draco said, placing a kiss on her cheek. "Try not to kill too many of your patients today."

"Very funny." Ginny pretended to laugh. "Try to eat a healthy lunch," she advised.

"There's nothing wrong with my diet."

"If you don't count the fact that you eat rubbish for lunch every week day," Ginny pointed out. "Have a good day!"

Draco watched as she hurried down the street towards the Leaky Cauldron. When she was out of sight, he began to wander casually in the direction of his office. He was about to pass the newly opened London Honeydukes store when a delicious idea sprung into his mind. Not one to ignore genius, Draco entered the store.

He saw what he was after right away and immediately approached the counter.

"Can I help you?"

"Do you deliver?" Draco queried.

"We can deliver to any magical residence," the shop assistant answered.

"How about St. Mungo's?"

"Absolutely."

"Splendid," Draco expressed. "I'll have one of those enormous baskets delivered to Ginevra Weasley at St. Mungo's."

"If you don't mind me saying, that's an awful lot of chocolate for someone who's in hospital," the assistant pointed out concernedly.

"She's a staff member," Draco clarified.

The assistant smiled. "Would you like to send a card?"

"Yes, I think I will." Draco selected a small pink card from a display the assistant directed him to and wrote one word: _Chocolate?_

"Will there be anything else, sir?"

"No, I think that will do for today," Draco answered.

"Very well, that comes to a total of ten Galleons, five Sickles and twenty Knuts."

Again, Draco pulled his coin bag from his pocket and counted out the coins. When his transaction was complete he strode back into Diagon Alley. There was an extra spring in his step as he crossed the cobblestone street on the way to the office. If there was one thing he enjoyed, it was being right, and he knew, without doubt, that Ginny needed chocolate this week.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	4. Owls

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little._

_**Author's Notes**__: Written for scarlettrayne2 for t__he Fall 2008 __dgficexchange. Huge thank you to my beta, rainpuddle13 for her patience, commentary and skill._

**TRUTH WILL OUT**

**OWLS**

Ginny groaned loudly and pulled her pillow over her head as a rude wailing invaded her dreams. Unable to drown out the horrid noise she threw her pillow in the general direction of the sound, but it made no difference — the wailing continued. It wasn't that she didn't know what it was that was demanding her attention, but she was determined to ignore it for as long as possible. Of course, as the sound drilled through her head it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore and even more so to fall asleep again. With little choice, Ginny leaned out of her bed and tried to reach her alarm clock. Stretched between her mattress and her drawers she was less than an inch away from regaining the peace of the early morning. Stubbornness gave her the will to stretch just a little further. Her hand landed on the clock just as her body weight slipped from the bed. She landed with a muffled thump on the floor followed by several loud profanities, and then the clock landed on her head with a mechanical clang.

The bedroom door burst open and a panicked, bed mussed Luna surveyed the damage. "Ginny, are you all right?"

"Yeah, sure… I was just turning my alarm off," Ginny muttered from her position on the floor.

"Shall I put the kettle on?"

"Thanks, that'd be good," Ginny answered, knowing there was no way she could go back to sleep now.

She picked herself up off the floor as Luna disappeared from the doorway. One of her knees was screaming in pain, and there was a sizable lump on her head where the clock had landed. Like yesterday and the day before that, she began the day by cursing the very existence of Hermione — if it hadn't been for her, she wouldn't be the disgruntled owner of an alarm clock that wouldn't turn off until the owner is out of bed. Ginny briefly turned her thoughts to an appropriately painful 'pay-back' Christmas gift for the witch in question while she put her room to rights.

By the time Ginny had straightened her room, showered quickly and dressed for work she could smell coffee wafting through the flat, along with the distinct odor of burning toast. She bemoaned her flat mate's inability to cook to herself, and then rushed to the kitchen to see if there was a fire that needed extinguishing.

"I made breakfast," Luna announced.

"You shouldn't have," Ginny said kindly. "I really only have time for coffee this morning."

"That's why I made your toast while you were in the shower. You really shouldn't go to work on an empty stomach," Luna instructed Ginny in a dreamy tone.

"Oh— thanks," Ginny uttered, trying not to cringe at the food on the plate before her. The toast looked like it was trying to impersonate a piece of charcoal or perhaps it was a piece of charcoal chiseled into the shape of a piece of toast.

"Any time," Luna said brightly. "Well, I'm off!"

"So early?"

"Daddy thinks he's uncovered a whole colony of Blibbering Humdingers," Luna replied excitedly.

"Wonderful," Ginny uttered hesitantly, hoping that Luna wouldn't bring home a Blubbering whatever it was she said.

"I'll see you tonight," Luna called as she left the kitchen.

"Have a good day!"

Ginny picked up her cup of coffee and sipped it thankfully. Luna may not be much good in the kitchen most of the time, but the woman could make a good cup of coffee when she remembered to add the coffee. She pushed the plate of toast aside and reached for the Daily Prophet. As she scanned the headlines, she suddenly remembered that their personal adverts were supposed to have been printed in today's edition. The pages of the paper flew open quickly as Ginny searched for the personal section, which she finally happened upon just before the sports section.

She scanned the columns of personal ads looking for the one she placed for Draco. Her eyes lit up as she finally found it nestled about halfway down a column.

__

Pureblood wizard seeking pureblood witch with view to a long-term relationship. Must be attractive, twenty to thirty years of age, and have a bubbly personality for a busy, handsome London businessman from an old, traditional family.

A smile crept across her face as she imagined the single, desperate women out there reading this and picking up their quills to respond. The game was on and she was sure she'd win.

Out of curiosity, Ginny turned to the Witches Seeking Wizards section and began to scan the columns for any potential ads Draco might have written. By the time she reached the third column, she was regretting not letting Draco read her ad, so she could read his. Her stubborn nature was finally rewarded when she happened upon an ad that could have only been penned by her best friend.

__

Beautiful twenty-something witch seeks handsome wizard, approximately the same age, for companionship. Potential for long-term relationship exists with the right applicant. Trolls and those related to octopi need not apply.

Unable to help herself she laughed aloud at the last line. She could well imagine how determined he would have been to get that particular stipulation across.

"Something amusing, Weasley?"

Ginny jumped as Draco's voice echoed from her fireplace. "Have you ever heard of making some noise or something to let someone know you're there?"

"I just did," Draco answered with a smirk. "So, are you going to tell me what's so funny?"

"I was just reading the ad you placed for me," Ginny admitted.

"And how do you know it's mine?"

"It wasn't hard to pick," Ginny told him. "The bit about trolls and octopi gave you away."

"Just stating the requirements clearly, so there'll be no confusion," Draco replied.

"Have you found yours yet?" Ginny asked.

"Unlike you, I haven't had a leisurely morning," Draco responded haughtily.

"Leisurely? Draco, I got up extra early to check the paper before I go to work."

"I have a business breakfast, so I don't have time to read the paper," Draco informed her.

"Yet you have time to talk to me," Ginny observed.

"I was simply making sure you had awoken in time for work," Draco stated haughtily.

"Can't find the ad, can you?" Ginny teased.

"I told you, I hav—"

"Yeah, I heard it before," Ginny interrupted. "And just so we're clear: I don't believe you. I think you read the section from front to back and you can't find it."

"You can believe what you want, Weasley."

"I'm not going to tell you which one it is," Ginny taunted.

"I'm sure that when I have the available time I'll be able to identify your efforts with no trouble," Draco responded snootily. "Now, I really have to go to breakfast."

"Oh, before you go—"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for the basket of chocolate," Ginny said nicely.

"You're welcome." Draco's bodiless head lit up with pleasure. "Did it help?"

"Help?"

"Cure the grumpies?"

"And here I was thinking that you were apologizing for being an arse," Ginny said sarcastically.

"Before we get into this again, I have a business meeting to attend," Draco said, giving her a wink.

"Have fun," Ginny sang smugly.

"Talk to you later, Weasley."

Before Ginny could respond he disappeared from the hearth. She sat back in her chair and sipped her coffee, feeling very self-satisfied. It was obvious that he had no idea what ad was meant for him, but there was no way he was going to admit it to her. In time, she knew his curiosity would get to him, and he'd begin to bother her to answer the question burning his mind. Not that she'd tell him, because this was too grand an opportunity to torment him mercilessly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Draco walked purposely down the corridor, surreptitiously glancing into every room he passed, looking for any sign of Ginny. He caught a flash of familiar blue robes in one of the rooms and paused for a moment, listening carefully to the voices within. It only took one word from the Healer's Assistant for him to know he'd located his best friend.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Peasegood, but your Healer has left for the day," Ginny said with barely concealed impatience.

"But I need more—"

"Now, you know as well as I do, that I can't do anything about more pain potions without direction from your Healer," Ginny explained with a slight edge to her voice.

"How am I supposed to sleep tonight?"

"I suggest you close your eyes and let your body do the rest," Ginny proposed.

Draco shook his head. He could hear the smirk in her voice, not to mention the sarcasm dripping in her tone. It was any wonder patients survived under her care.

"But it hurts."

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Peasegood, but you're going to have to suck it up and get over it tonight."

Draco's eyes closed and he dropped his head onto his chest. She'd started out sounding so caring, but totally destroyed any pretense halfway through. He was beginning to wonder how she still had a job here after hearing that particular piece of advice.

The sound of soft soles coming closer alerted Draco to her approach. He stepped closer to the wall and waited for her to appear. So as not to alert the patient she'd been bullying, Draco followed her quietly for several feet.

"Remind me, if I should ever end up in here, to request to be placed on a ward that you have no access to," Draco drawled, drawing Ginny's attention.

"Good evening, Malfoy," Ginny responded acerbically. "How was your day? Mine was absolute rubbish."

"_Suck it up?_ Really, Weasley, it's a wonder your patients aren't killing themselves to get away from you," Draco admonished.

"Would you mind saving your comments until you understand the type of patients I'm dealing with," Ginny answered harshly. "That one happens to be a foolish old man, who is addicted to pain potions. He's not actually in any pain; he's just after the high the potions give him."

Draco's expression flickered just a little. "I see."

"Do you?"

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"What was that? I didn't quite hear you," Ginny teased.

"I said, I'm sorry," Draco articulated clearly. "I didn't realize you were dealing with an addict."

"Apology accepted… maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Buy me dinner, and I'll think about making it definite," Ginny challenged.

"You don't want to eat whatever it is Lovegood is cooking tonight," Draco mocked.

"Would you?"

"I do value my health," Draco answered. "When are you finishing?"

"Right now! It's already an hour past the end of my shift," Ginny said wearily.

"Good. I'll wait for you then," Draco replied. "Where would you like to go to dinner?"

"Somewhere that I don't have to mind my manners and they don't mind if I fall asleep on my plate," Ginny answered.

"My place it is then," Draco decided. "We'll get some take-out."

"Sounds good," Ginny uttered. "I'll just be a few minutes."

Draco leaned against the wall opposite the 'Staff Only' door Ginny had just vanished through. He could hear her talking to someone beyond the closed door. Her tone was slightly irritated to begin with, and then it became amused. Laughter seeped under the door and floated into the corridor. A smile stretch across Draco's face as he listened; the sound of her laughing with someone always made him feel light inside.

"Have a good night," Ginny called as she appeared. "Are you ready?"

"Absolutely," Draco said, his smile still in place. "What do you feel like for dinner?"

Ginny groaned and let her head fall into Draco's chest. "I really don't care. I'm way too tired."

"Mmm… My choice then." Draco grinned cheekily.

"Nothing disgusting!" Ginny insisted as they started walking.

"You know you're safe there; I don't eat anything disgusting."

"That's a matter for national debate."

"Do you want to call by your place first?"

"No."

"It's just that Lovegood said there were a lot of owls waiting for you when I spoke to her."

"Oh, so that's why you're here."

"Not at all," Draco said curtly. "I actually came to tell you that I received a very good response from the ad."

"Really?"

Draco nodded. "So are you going to go and pick up your owls?"

"I truly don't want to go to my place. I'd have to make up some excuse about not eating dinner with her, and then I'd feel awful." Ginny pouted.

"Fine." Draco sighed. "You go to my place, and I'll go and pick up the owls from your place. I'll tell Lovegood you're working a double shift or something and want to read the owls during the night."

"That'll work." Ginny grinned up at him.

"I'll get some food while I'm out," Draco promised. "Just don't fall asleep before I get there."

"I'm not making any promises."

"I'll see you there." Draco winked at her as they parted ways.

Ginny stood still for a few seconds, watching her best friend weave his way through the crowds in the foyer. It had been a hellish day and all she really wanted to do was go home and fall into bed, but she knew that going to Draco's was going to be the less painful option — for starters she'd get something decent to eat and not have to force herself to smile, as she tried to swallow whatever Luna had concocted tonight.

She wandered over to the staff Apparition point and signed herself out for the day. After taking a moment or two to focus her tired mind, Ginny Disapparated.

Draco's flat was more like a penthouse or a full size mansion in the air. It was four times the size of her modest flat, with two levels and a large balcony. Ginny had never seen the interior look unclean or dusty or even simply messy. She glanced around at the perfect living room and wondered what it would be like to have house elves at your beck and call. Housework was the bane of her existence most of the time, and no matter how hard or how long she worked for, her flat never looked this pristine. It was almost as if no one lived here at all.

Ginny dropped her handbag onto the leather couch and slipped her cloak off her shoulders, leaving it in an untidy heap over her bag. She toed her shoes off and stretched her toes — it felt better than sex. Just as she was about to sink into the soft leather of the couch, Ginny caught a whiff of her Assistant Healer's uniform and just about passed out. It was amazing Draco hadn't said anything to her about the state of her clothes, not to mention the odor that was choking her now.

Worried that he might return before she could clean up properly, Ginny bolted up the stairs. As she moved through his enormous bedroom she shed her clothes, leaving a trail behind her. His bathroom was as big as her bedroom and decorated stylishly in black marble. It was, without doubt, a very masculine area, not that it bothered her; after all, growing up with six older brothers had prepared her for most male habitat rituals and quirks. One of Draco's little quirks made her laugh hysterically every time she was told off for not adhering to it: he liked to keep the lid of the loo down, despite being male and predisposed to leaving the entire seat in the raised position.

Ginny stepped into his shower and turned the water on. She sighed with relief as the warm water ran over her tired muscles. Of all the showers she'd ever stood under, his was her favorite. It delivered just the right amount of pressure to ease her body into a relaxed state instantaneously. Although, she would have liked to stand there all night, Ginny knew Draco wouldn't be far away, so she washed herself quickly.

With her hair now dripping wet, Ginny reached for the shampoo and groaned. Draco's shampoo was very manly in its odor, unlike her preferred hair products, which smelled like sweet coconut. She sighed and got on with washing her hair. After all, smelling like a bloke was certainly better than the stench of a bad day at work, and she could always wash her hair again when she got home.

Thankful that Draco was fastidious about his appearance, Ginny reached for the comb he kept handy and combed her hair to make certain the conditioner was evenly spread through her hair before rinsing. She screwed her nose up at the smell her locks were giving off and got on with the job at hand. It wasn't truly unpleasant, but it wasn't her smell.

Satisfied that she now smelled better than she had, Ginny stepped out of the shower and toweled off. A small giggle escaped her when she realized she'd used Draco's towel without even thinking about it; he was going to be furious at her. When she was dry she went in search of some clean clothes. Over the years she'd left a few things here and they, occasionally, came in handy on nights like this.

With a towel perched precariously on her head, Ginny walked into Draco's dressing room. She teased him mercilessly about have a 'dressing room', because she could only imagine someone as pretentious as him needing a separate room to keep his clothes in and get dressed in. Of course, his defense was that she was jealous, and there might have been a grain of truth to that, because his 'dressing room' resembled a Muggle department store, but she wasn't about to let him know it. Ginny moved quickly to the wardrobes, scouring them for any sign of something that was hers, but she came away disappointed. Next she checked the many drawers and found a pair of knickers, albeit not hers, but they were clean and they'd fit her. With a flick of her wrist the lacy black knickers landed on a chair, and she resumed her search for something clean to wear. After double-checking everywhere, Ginny came to the conclusion that he either disposed of her clothes — something he'd be punished for, if it was true — or they were hidden elsewhere in the flat. Too tired to contemplate checking the other two bedrooms, she reached into his wardrobe and grabbed one of his white shirts. It was soft and clean, and it would cover her bits just nicely.

When she had dried her hair and put the clothes on, Ginny wandered down stairs again. Draco still hadn't arrived, so she made herself comfortable on the couch. Within minutes her eyelids began to feel as though someone had attached weights to them. Try as she might, she couldn't fight of the need to just close her eyes. She tried to tell herself that she was just going to rest her eyes and had no intention of sleeping, but it was a moot point the moment her eyelashes grazed her cheeks.

"Weasley!"

Ginny frowned and moaned. Someone was being very rude.

"Come on, Weasley, I didn't get all this food for nothing."

"Go away," Ginny snarled.

"You have to eat something."

Ginny growled viciously.

"If you bite me, Weasley, I'll be forced to bite you back."

"Leave me alone," Ginny wailed.

"Nope, I'm having too much fun tormenting you."

Ginny cracked an eye open and glared at her assailant.

Draco smirked at her. "Wakey, wakey, sweetheart. It's time for some food."

"Not hungry," Ginny growled.

"I wonder what your mum would make of you not eating properly," Draco pondered aloud. "Perhaps I should Floo—"

"I'm awake," Ginny snapped angrily. "All right?"

"Good girl," Draco praised sardonically. "I love your mum, did you know that? She gives me a sense of power."

Ginny rolled her eyes, as she lifted herself off the couch and followed Draco to the kitchen. "What did you get me?"

"It's a surprise," Draco stated cagily. "Go and sit down at the table."

She sighed loudly and did as she was told.

"Oh, you can thank me for saving your life as well," Draco called over the clatter of crockery.

"Thank you," Ginny responded. "Just so I know, how did you save my life?"

"When I went to pick up the owls from your place, I told Lovegood you were working late and I was taking the letters to you, she insisted on sending some dinner along for you."

"And?"

"I don't know what it was, but it was bright lime green." Draco appeared in the doorway with his face screwed up in an expression of distaste.

"All of it?"

He nodded. "I ditched it in the alley."

"Near my place?"

"Yes, near your place. I wasn't carrying that mess around for any longer than I had to. Merlin only knows what it might have burned through or stained."

"Great." Ginny sighed. "She's not silly, Draco. She'll see it in the alley."

"No, she won't," Draco said confidently. "As I was leaving that ginger cat that hangs around—"

"My neighbor's cat?"

"Yes, that one."

"What about it?"

"It started eating the sludge."

"So I need to keep my eyes open for a corpse then?" She was only half joking, because death was entirely possible, if not probable, given Luna's history in the kitchen.

"It'd be a good idea."

"Why me?" Ginny wailed into her hands.

"Because you deserve it," Draco answered easily as he placed their dinner on the table.

Ginny's eyes narrowed as she looked at him. "I do not!"

"Yes, you do," Draco said convincingly. "You won't tell Lovegood she's a dreadful cook, and you make all of us play along as well. Of course, that doesn't take into account that you don't like that cat either."

"I have nothing against the cat. It just scares the crap out of me every morning."

"What about Lovegood?"

"I don't want to hurt her feelings."

"Yet you'll risk the lives of innocent people?"

"Don't say that! You all know not to put anything she cooks in your mouth," Ginny snapped as she shook her napkin out.

"It goes on your lap, Weasley," Draco said casually. "How are you going to feel if one of us finds ourselves in a position where we can't lie our way out of it or hide the food?"

"You'll be fine," Ginny replied succinctly. "You've got no problem being rude to her."

"No, I haven't. In fact, I'm only polite to her for your sake," Draco reminded her.

"I know, and I do appreciate it," Ginny responded wearily. "So did you get the owls?"

"Yes, there's quite a stack of them," Draco said, reaching behind him to the buffet. "I'm terribly popular."

"Only because I didn't put your name in the ad," Ginny answered through a mouthful of food. "This is good," she continued when Draco frowned at her.

"Here," Draco said passing a substantial number of envelopes across the table.

"Wow! How many responses did you get?"

"Around the same as you did," Draco replied. "I haven't had a chance to read through them all yet."

"No time like the present," Ginny announced, tearing into the first envelope. As she pulled out a thick piece of parchment something else went flying across the room. "Shit," she hissed, leaping out of her chair to get to whatever it was before Draco could. Without giving a second thought to her attire she bent down to retrieve what turned out to be a photograph, exposing a good portion of her lace-covered arse.

"What are you wearing?" Draco asked with a frown.

"Oh, I couldn't find any of the clothes I've left here, so I borrowed one of your shirts," Ginny admitted.

"The shirt is fine," Draco assured her. "Where did you get the—" He shook his hand at her hips in a slightly embarrassed gesture.

"The knickers?"

"Yes. Where did you get them?"

"Are you blushing, Malfoy?"

"Most likely," Draco huffed. He could feel his cheeks burning, but it was only because if those knickers weren't the ones he was thinking of he was going to be horridly embarrassed. "Just tell me where—"

"They were in one of your drawers."

"My knickers," Draco whispered, his tone tragically mortified and his embarrassment forgotten.

"Your—" Ginny frowned deeply and stared at him in confusion, trying to make sense of his words.

They'd been friends — best friends — for six years and not once had she ever suspected he had a fetish for women's knickers. It wasn't that she'd ever thought much about the possibility that her best friend wore black lacy knickers under his designer boxers, but she thought there might have been some warning signs at some point over the years.

"Draco, I—" She sank back into her seat, unable to think of anything she could say that wouldn't make the situation worse or cause her burst into hysterical laughter, because that was becoming a real possibility.

"How could you take my knickers?" Draco breathed more than said.

"I didn't know," Ginny whispered, her tone equally as horrified.

He dropped his head into his hands, as if he were mourning.

"I just— I was looking— they were—" Ginny gave up with a frustrated whimper. This was beyond ridiculous. She'd never tiptoed around Draco's feelings, not in the six years they'd been friends, or the six years prior to that when they'd been enemies. "Damn it, Draco! I refuse to feel uncomfortable about this. What you do is your business, and I won't judge you, but I have to know… When did you start wearing women's underwear?"

Draco's head snapped up. His eyes were as wide as they could possibly get and new form of horror was clearly painted on his features.

"Look, Draco, like I said, I won't judge you, but as your best friend, don't you think I have a right to know?" Ginny said as calmly as she could manage. The practical side of her brain had taken over and was sitting on the silly side that still wanted to point at him and laugh hysterically. "Aside from the fact that finding out like this is a bit… Well, I'll admit it's shocking, but that doesn't mean this fetish is anything to be ashamed of, and it really does open up a whole other world for gift ideas, from my point of view."

"Fe—fet—fet—" Draco tried to choke the word out, but his mouth refused to cooperate. "No." He shook his head, trying to convey what his brain was telling him.

"I don't think anything less of you," Ginny said gently.

"I—not—" Draco snarled with frustration. His temper was beginning to boil, and while he didn't want to explode, he felt it was inevitable, especially if she kept being so damned understanding.

"It's not as unusual as you might think. I see a lot at the hospital, and believe me—"

"Stop! Just fucking _stop_!" Draco managed to growl, his control barely intact. "I do _not_ now nor have I _ever_ worn women's knickers."

"But you said—"

"They are now mine, but only because I kept them as a trophy after _fucking_ a world class model last summer," he ground out.

"Oh." Ginny's cheeks filled with color as she realized her mistake and how much worse she'd made the situation with her foolish rambling.

"Men do things like that," Draco informed her flatly.

"I'll give them back," Ginny promised.

"They won't smell the same," Draco said through his teeth.

"What?"

"They smelled like her, and now they're going to smell like you," he explained.

"But they were clean," Ginny uttered uncertainly.

Draco shook his head slowly.

"I'm wearing someone's _dirty_ knickers?" Ginny barely voiced the words as the horror of the situation dawned upon her.

He didn't get the chance to say anything, as his face held the answer she obviously feared.

Before she could even think about what she was doing, Ginny was pulling the other woman's knickers down her legs and stepping out of them. She picked them up between two fingers, as if they held something disgusting, and tossed them at Draco.

While his mind was screaming at him to look away, Draco simply didn't have the discipline to obey. She was, after all, a woman and a good-looking sort at that. He was still staring openly when her hands landed on her hips.

"Are you right there?" Ginny queried harshly.

Draco blinked a couple of times and gave his head a little shake to clear his thoughts. "I'll get you— I'll get something," he mumbled as he left the table.

It wasn't until he reached the privacy of his own bedroom that Draco began to breathe again. They'd shared a lot over the years, but she'd _never_ ripped her knickers off in front of him before, and it had, for want of a better term, fried his thoughts. He moved forward, into his dressing room and began rifling through his drawers. There was one thing he was positive of at this point: there was no way he could sit and eat dinner with her knowing she wasn't wearing any knickers under his button down white shirt. They might be best friends, and he knew he didn't think of her in the same way he did other women, but she was still a woman, and a man could only take so much. Desperate to get her covered up, Draco gave up his search for something suitable and snatched up a pair of his own boxers. At least if she had these on, he wouldn't be in any danger of seeing anything that might lead to his brain being starved of blood.

When he returned to the dining room the first thing he noticed was that she hadn't moved at all. Her hands were still planted firmly on her hips and her eyes still held the same dangerous glint.

"I couldn't find anything else, but these should do the job," Draco said as he placed the underwear on the table between them.

Ginny looked at the boxers and then at him. She snatched up the silk shorts and put them on without a word. Her eyes constantly flickered from what she was doing to his face. When she was fully clothed again, she drew herself up to her full height, which didn't come close to his six feet four inches. "I'd say you can look now, but you never looked away."

"Sorry," Draco mumbled. "That was just about as inexcusable as you ripping the knickers off in front of me."

"So, just out of curiosity, do you smell them often or just when you're lonely?"

Draco frowned. "Excuse me?"

"The knickers," Ginny prompted. "You said they smelled like her."

"I don't—" Draco made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. "That is really gross, Weasley."

"I was just wondering, because you made such a fuss over the smell. I thought maybe you—"

"Don't even go there," Draco warned. "I kept a pair of knickers from a conquest I was rather proud of shagging. End of story."

"But—"

"No buts. This conversation is closed."

Ginny huffed as she sat down again. The finality in his tone was one she'd heard before, and she knew there was little point in arguing about it or pushing him to disclose more details. She picked up her cutlery and began pushing her food around on her plate. After all that drama, what little energy she'd gained from her interrupted nap had vanished, and she suddenly felt exhausted again.

"I know your mother taught you not to play with your food," Draco commented.

"I'm just tired."

"Well, eat up, and you can get some sleep," Draco promised.

"We have to go through all of these." Ginny's hand landed on the pile of envelopes yet to be explored.

"There's always tomorrow, Weasley." Draco glanced at the photograph sitting off to the side of the pile. "I can shorten your pile by one right now."

"What?"

"Didn't you look at that photograph?"

Ginny's frown deepened. "No," she admitted, reaching for the photograph.

"Recognize who it is?"

"Oh my God! I don't believe—"

"Believe," Draco said earnestly. "And just let me add: you are _not_ setting me up with Blaise's mother. I have absolutely no desire to become her next victim."

"She's never been charged—"

"Only because she's a clever little minx," Draco pointed out. "She's disposed of all her husbands as soon as her name is on all the right documents or they've been married long enough for marital property to apply."

"If she'd done any of them in the Aurors would have been all over her."

"There's always an investigation, but they can't prove anything, so they can't charge her. She should be gracing the hellish corridors of Azkaban, but until they get something on her…" Draco's voice trailed off. "Anyway, all of that is beside the point. I'm definitely not meeting with her."

"All right, I'll get rid of her letter now, shall I?"

A small smirk turned the side of Draco's mouth up. "Let's read it first. It might be amusing."

Ginny smiled and unfolded the letter that had accompanied the photograph. She cleared her throat, as her eyes scanned the first few lines of the missive.

"Read aloud, Weasley," Draco demanded.

"Dear Mr. Businessman," Ginny started. "I know I am a little older than you requested but, as you can see from the enclosed picture, I look much younger than my years. I am a successful, independent woman, looking for some fun…" Ginny started giggling as visions of what Blaise's mother might call 'fun' roamed freely through her mind.

"This is not amusing, Weasley," Draco said seriously.

"Oh, it is, it's—"

"Weasley, stop laughing," Draco growled.

"I can't— I just—_fun_!"

Draco scowled across the table. He knew, better than most, what Blaise's mother might mean by 'fun', and he didn't find it amusing in the least. It was horrifying enough to give him nightmares for a decade, but not funny. Ginny almost fell off her chair before gaining some semblance of control, but not even that caused Draco to smile. "Are you right now?"

Ginny coughed and cleared her throat. "Yes, I think so."

"Good," Draco responded curtly. "I think we'll burn that letter."

"Don't you want to know what else she has—"

"No. Quite frankly, I don't think your brain could tolerate another round of oxygen deprivation without becoming permanently impaired."

"Grumpy bastard," Ginny said under her breath.

"What was that, Weasley?"

Ginny smiled broadly. "Nothing."

"Shall we just finish eating before everything goes stone motherless cold?" Draco suggested.

"Fine," Ginny agreed lightly, allowing a small giggle to escape.

The scowl on his face remained as Draco finished his meal. Every time Ginny glanced at him she had to swallow the urge to laugh again. Images of Draco moving through various society functions with Blaise's mother on his arm kept assaulting her, and when she envisioned Blaise addressing Draco as 'father' she almost choked on her food.

"Are you all right?" Draco asked with a frown.

"Fine," Ginny managed as she tried to clear her throat.

"Is there something wrong with the food?"

"No, it's fine," Ginny answered, reaching for her glass of wine and draining it in seconds. "Something just went down the wrong way."

"That happens when you laugh with a mouthful of food," Draco observed blandly. "So are you going to tell me what was so funny that you nearly died for the cause?"

Ginny shook her head. "You wouldn't think it was funny."

"I have a sense of humor, Weasley," Draco assured her.

"You do, but only when the joke is on someone other than you."

"Ah, so I did something funny?"

"Not yet," Ginny replied, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Actually, you won't, so it doesn't matter anyway."

"I won't do what?"

"End up with Blaise as your stepson." Ginny cringed as the words slipped from her mouth.

Draco's eyes hardened. "I want you to forget you _ever_ saw that letter."

"I'm sure I will," Ginny answered earnestly. "Eventually."

"Weasley, we're not going to have this conversation again, are we?"

"No." Ginny pulled her lips together into a hard line in an effort not to smile. "I'll forget about it now."

"Good."

As she relaxed a bubble of laughter forced its way out of her throat. "I'm sorry. I just keep thinking about Blaise calling you 'father'."

Draco rubbed his forehead tiredly. "We both know that's never going to happen," he said evenly. "Your little fixation about this has got to end now; before it does irreparable damage to someone we care about."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"How do you think Blaise would feel if he knew his mother was looking for a husband young enough to her son?"

"Blaise wouldn't think anything of it," Ginny said positively. "Besides, she's probably just looking for a shag who can keep up with her." Unable to help herself Ginny giggled again. "A toy-boy!"

"Charming, Weasley," Draco said dryly.

"Sorry," Ginny mouthed, lowering her eyes in a show of mock shame. "I'll stop now."

"Thank you." Draco wiped the corners of his mouth delicately with his napkin. "Are you going to finish your dinner or have you had enough?"

"I'll finish," Ginny promised.

"While you're doing that, I'll organize coffee and dessert," Draco said as he stood up.

Ginny's eyes lit up. "Dessert? You spoil me!"

"You won't get any if you don't finish your dinner," Draco warned with a smirk.

"What is it?" Ginny asked curiously.

"It's something you've been known to commit cold-blooded murder for in the past," Draco answered as he disappeared into the kitchen.

The only sound from the dining room was cutlery against china as Ginny hurried to finish her dinner. It wasn't difficult to get Ginevra Weasley to behave herself; one just had to know what to bribe her with, and he had the perfect bait for this evening — rich, dark, chocolate cake with a chocolate mousse center. He hoped it would be enough to distract her long enough for her to forget about Blaise's mother. Draco placed his used plates in the sink, put some water on for coffee and set about serving their dessert.

When everything was ready, Draco carried the tray back to the dining room. "We might take dessert in the sitting room," he suggested as he passed through.

"Is this a special occasion?" Ginny teased.

Draco was particular about eating anywhere in his flat, other than at the dining room table. He detested crumbs floating around the couch or his bed, and you never saw a glass of water on his bedside table.

"While we enjoy our treat, we can read through the letters we received and start making a short list of potential dates."

"You won't hear any arguments from me," Ginny said as she followed him through the flat.

"Did you finish your dinner?"

"Every last mouthful," Ginny answered proudly. "It was wonderful. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Draco placed the tray on the coffee table. "And now, allow me to introduce you to death by chocolate."

"Oh my God!" Ginny's hand went to her heart. "You are a legend!"

Draco preened for a few seconds. "I know."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'll pour the coffee while your head shrinks to normal size again."

"Don't spill it," Draco warned seriously.

"Rugs can be cleaned," Ginny said dismissively.

She could feel Draco's eyes watching her like a hawk as she picked up the pot of coffee. The man had no faith in her, that much was made clear time and again, especially when it came to potentially spilling something that might stain. Ginny could feel her hands start to tremble a little as his gaze burned into her, so rather than continue she placed the pot down again and glared up at him.

"Do you want me to pour?" Draco offered.

"You may as well, because I'll just spill it if you keep looking at me like that."

Draco smirked. "At least you're honest, Weasley."

"And you're paranoid," Ginny retorted as she dropped herself onto the couch.

"Don't jump on the furniture," Draco complained.

"I simply sat down," Ginny answered through her teeth.

"In that case, definitely don't ever jump on my furniture. I don't think it could withstand the pressure."

"You sound just like my mother," Ginny commented, her tone slightly annoyed.

Draco stopped what he was doing and stared at her. "I sound nothing like your mother, Weasley, and if I ever do I'll thank you to put me out of my misery."

"No problem," Ginny agreed easily, thankful that he seemed to have forgotten about his precious furniture for the time being. "So, how are we going to do this?"

"I'm curious about the type of woman you might set me up with, but I fear we might be doing ourselves a disservice if we know too much about them before meeting them," Draco replied thoughtfully. "Predetermined judgments can often overshadow one's true opinion of a person."

Ginny frowned and looked at him quizzically. "Okay, I'll take it that all you want to know is where and when?"

"And some form of identifying the other person, of course," Draco added.

"What do you want to go with there?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know. Do you have any suggestions?"

"A single flower of some description?"

"That sounds feasible."

"Good." Ginny picked up her pile of envelopes. "Let's get on with it then."

Apart from the shuffling of parchment, the occasional slurp as one or the other sipped their coffee, and the sound of cake forks against fine china there was little noise from the pair. They were both focused on the words the applicants had written. Draco scribbled periodically on various letters, while Ginny created two piles beside her on the couch — one much bigger than the other. Coffee mugs were refilled when they became empty and their dirty dessert plates sat on the coffee table long after they'd finished eating.

Draco shook his head in disgust for what seemed like the umpteenth time. There were truly some very perverted men out there, and he vowed to himself that Ginny would never be left alone on one of these 'dates' just in case he'd read the applicant wrong. They'd been at it for a couple of hours and he glanced up to see how Ginny was doing.

"Weas—"

The word died on his tongue as soon as his eyes landed on her. Ginny had fallen asleep at some point. Her head was resting against the back of the couch, and the letter in her hand was only just being held there by some miracle. In sleep, her face held an innocence that made his chest ache a little. He didn't try to work out what it meant, because examining his feelings too closely was one thing Draco didn't do too often. There was no doubt he cared for her — she was his best friend, after all.

So as not to disturb her, Draco carefully picked himself up off the couch. He moved the letters she'd been dealing with to the coffee table, being certain to maintain the separate piles she'd created. Without so much as a grunt, he gently picked her up and carried her upstairs.

After he'd tucked her into his bed, Draco returned to the sitting room. He looked over a few more letters, discarding more than he kept. Out of all the responses he'd received there were only five that he felt would be good dates for Ginny. When he'd finished for the night, he rubbed his eyes tiredly. It was harder than he thought it would be to select someone who might be good enough for her. His eyes roamed over to the piles she had created.

Curiosity ate at him. Draco knew he shouldn't look, because it had been his idea not to, but they were just sitting there on the table, begging him to pay them some attention. He cast a sly glance in the direction of the staircase, just in case she'd woken up, before his hand snuck over to the lesser pile. Once the missive was in his hand, Draco scanned it quickly. A frown crept across his brow before he reached to closing signature; the woman who wrote this letter sounded dead boring, to put it politely. Before he realized what he was doing, he was reaching for another letter. Just as his eyes read the opening line his conscience caught up with him, and he placed the parchment back on the pile he got it from. They had an agreement, and while he might not honor such agreements with many, this one had been made with his best friend, so he was bound to respect it or suffer the consequences, especially if she ever found out that he'd peeked.

In an effort to do the right thing, Draco got up and wandered upstairs. It was late, and he did need to get some sleep. Before he retired for the evening he looked in on Ginny. She was sleeping peacefully. Unable to help himself, he adjusted the covers around her shoulders and placed a light kiss on her forehead. It seemed to take forever for his feet to find the ability to move again, but when they did he shuffled down the hall to the guest bedroom.

Draco sighed heavily when he realized the bed wasn't made up. He kicked his shoes off and shed his clothes, and then dropped onto the mattress, pulling the duvet over him. Just before sleep claimed him, he reminded himself rather harshly that he didn't need to put every woman who fell asleep on his couch into his bed, especially when they were ones he couldn't shag.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	5. Unexpected Meeting

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little._

_**Author's Notes**__: Written for scarlettrayne2 for t__he Fall 2008 __dgficexchange. Huge thank you to my beta, rainpuddle13 for her patience, commentary and skill._

**TRUTH WILL OUT**

**UNEXPECTED MEETING**

Ginny stretched and groaned as sunlight fell across her face. She was infinitely comfortable and didn't really want to move, but the light was bothering her, so she had to get up. As her eyes opened her heartbeat began to speed up. This wasn't her bedroom. It took her a few minutes to realize that she hadn't been kidnapped and that she did know where she was — Draco's bedroom. A second moment of panic seized her, but a glance to the other side of the bed confirmed that she was alone.

She gathered it was very early in the morning from the way the sun was filtering through the large windows. With the two quick bursts of adrenaline going back to sleep wasn't an option, so she got out of bed. Curious as to where Draco had slept Ginny padded out into the hallway. The door to the guest bedroom was standing ajar, so she crept down to it and slowly opened it, so she wouldn't disturb him.

As she glanced up, her eyes went wide and her breath caught in her throat. The duvet was a crumpled mess at the foot of the bed and Draco was laying flat on his back, in all his glory. Ginny quickly moved away from the door, stumbling over her own feet as she backed out. She reached for the wall to steady herself. After a few cleansing breaths, she gathered her wits and moved quickly downstairs. Coffee was the first thing that made any sense to her, followed quickly by a wish for something a little stronger or perhaps someone to Obliviate her.

She made it to the kitchen in record time and fumbled about setting some water to boil. Her mind was screaming at her to do something about what she'd seen, but she wasn't ready to deal with the implications just yet. It wasn't that she was oblivious to the fact that he was a man; it was simply that she had never before seen the 'proof', and now that she had, she was finding it very difficult to breathe, let alone think straight.

When her coffee was ready she took it through to the dining room. She tried to shove her thoughts aside and concentrate on the steaming liquid in front of her. When that didn't work, Ginny got up and went into the sitting room. Her pile of responses was sitting on the coffee table, so she swooped on them, hoping they'd take her mind to places other than the hell she seemed to be stuck in at the moment.

By the time she heard Draco moving about upstairs, Ginny had letters spread all over the dining table. She'd penned a couple of responses and sent his owl off to deliver them, hoping that she might be able to set him up with some women this week.

"Good morning, Weasley," Draco intoned as approached.

Ginny turned in her chair to greet him, but she flushed bright red and stumbled over her words. "Goo—good mor—morning."

Draco smirked. "Is there something wrong?"

"No." Ginny shook her head. "Not at all," she replied, deliberately forcing her eyes to the floor, where they fell on his feet. _No wonder they're so big_, her mind interjected before she could stop it.

"Do you want coffee?" Draco asked, trying not to laugh at how she was blushing in front of him.

"Thank you." Ginny picked up her cup and held it out to him without looking up.

"I'll be right back," Draco whispered.

The moment the kitchen door closed, Ginny dropped her head into her hands and groaned. She was making a right mess of this, and he obviously knew something wasn't quite right with her. That thought alone had her praying to the Deities that he wouldn't ask what was wrong, because there was no way she would be able to explain.

"Fresh coffee," Draco announced as he placed her cup on the table.

Ginny visibly jumped. "I've told you about making noise as you approach before," she growled.

Draco shrugged. "Sorry. You looked like you were thinking hard."

"I did?"

"Mmm… You were muttering to yourself as well," he added.

"I was?" She felt as though she was drowning in a pit of horror.

"Something about not believing something," Draco told her, his smirk growing as her mortification grew.

"Oh," she managed almost silently.

"I'm sure you'll believe whatever it is in time," Draco said casually. "I do have one question for you though."

"Yes?"

"I know I closed my door over before I retired last night, and when I woke up this morning is was open." He paused, enjoying the color her entire face was turning. "You wouldn't happen to know how the door got that way, would you?"

"I—err—no—no idea," Ginny stammered.

"Curious… You see that room is a bit drafty with the door open, and when I woke up the duvet was on the floor." Draco sighed and feigned deep thought, but his eyes were watching her reaction with great interest.

"If it gets drafty, maybe the wind blew it open," Ginny gushed, seizing any excuse to remove herself from the equation.

"It usually slams the door closed," Draco pointed out. Although his voice sounded casual enough, he was highly amused.

Ginny was so embarrassed that she wasn't even paying attention to his demeanor, which would most certainly have given him away and ended her torture.

"A house elf could have—"

"No, they don't arrive until after I leave for work," Draco cut in. "You know I don't like them hanging around."

Ginny fell silent. She was looking everywhere, but at Draco, and she had begun to fidget constantly — a sure sign she was very, very uncomfortable.

He observed her for a while, noting the way her fingers were twitching, and the way her eyes kept flicking from one thing to the next, but never at him. Draco was sure she wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer without expiring. It did occur to him to let her know that he knew, so they could laugh about it and move on, but it was such a rare opportunity that he wanted to savor her discomfort a little while longer. "Enough about that. It doesn't matter anyway."

Draco watched and waited for her shoulders to drop a little, indicating that she'd relaxed a little. He wasn't quite ready to let her off the hook yet, so he broached his next subject without remorse. "So, I've been thinking about getting some custom made boots. What do you think these babies would look like in black dragon hide?"

She felt her eyes grow as round as saucers when his feet hit the tabletop. It was too late to hide her reaction or even try to cover it up by pretending it was due to something else. His feet were sitting mere inches away from her face — his enormous, long feet. Ginny felt her face begin to flame again. There was little doubt in her mind that frying an egg on her cheeks would have been all too possible at the moment. Unable to move away or even speak, for that matter, Ginny sat there staring at his feet.

"Is there something wrong, Weasley?" Draco asked, faux concern tainting his tone. "You don't have a foot fetish that I should know about, do you?"

Ginny shook her head furiously. He was so far off the mark it wasn't funny.

"Well, come on then. You girls love to talk shoes, so tell me—" Draco wiggled his long toes in front of her nose. "What do you think about black dragon hide?"

"It'll look fine," Ginny whispered breathlessly just barely loud enough to be heard.

"Do my feet stink or something?" Draco asked suddenly.

Before she could answer, Draco brought one of his feet back to his nose and took a deep breath.

"They smell sweet," Draco declared. "How many blokes do you know who can do this?"

Ginny's eyes almost popped out of her head when his tongue flicked out and licked the length of his foot. Her thoughts went straight into the gutter, and she couldn't take it any longer. Of all mornings for him to show off, this morning had to be the worst possible day.

"Well? Do you know anyone who can do that?" Draco persisted.

"Stop! Oh, fuck it all… Just stop it!" Ginny wailed. "I can't do this… It's driving me insane…"

"Ginny," Draco expressed. His concern evidently false if she were listening carefully. "What's wrong, sweetheart? Tell me… Something's obviously upset you."

Ginny took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down before she lost her mind completely. "Just stop it," she said evenly. "Please get your di—feet—your _feet_ off the table."

Draco schooled his features expertly into a mask of concern and did as she asked. "Are you going to tell me what has you so upset?"

"It was me," Ginny said in a rush. "I opened the door and I saw—saw—"

"I see," Draco managed haughtily. "You saw what _exactly_?"

"You— Oh God, I don't believe this is happening," Ginny moaned.

"Well, I don't expect I look perfect first thing in the morning, but your reaction is a little extreme, don't you think?" Draco posed quite seriously. "After all, I've seen your hair first thing, and it's not pretty either, but I don't carry on like the end of the world has come."

"There was nothing wrong with your hair," Ginny hissed, her embarrassment making her angry.

"Well, what was the problem then? Was I drooling or snoring?"

"No," Ginny ground out.

"Weasley, you're going to have to tell—"

"You weren't wearing any pants!"

"I never wear pants to bed," Draco said matter-of-factly. "Perhaps you shouldn't peek under the duvet."

"I didn't." The color rose in Ginny's cheeks again. "It was on the floor when I looked in on you."

"And?"

"And everything was— well, it was— just hanging out everywhere," Ginny stammered as her hands gestured wildly.

"Did that bother you?" Draco asked earnestly.

Ginny rolled her eyes expressively. "Yes, it bothered me."

"Why?" Draco frowned deliberately. "I don't mean to make fun of your sensibilities but, you've got six brothers, and it's not like you're innocent… much to their disgust. Do you behave like this when you're shagging a bloke or do you keep the lights off?"

"Malfoy," Ginny warned.

"I'm serious, Weasley," Draco claimed. "This could be a real problem for you."

"This is not a problem."

"Then why the fuss?"

"Because it's _your_—" She waved her hand around wildly again. "—and I hadn't ever planned on meeting _it_."

"Well, to be perfectly frank, I don't think _it_ ever planned on meeting you either, but now that you've barged in and forced your company upon _it_—"

"Will you stop it?" Ginny growled angrily.

"Okay." Draco chuckled. "You've obviously had enough, and _it_ doesn't want to get damaged or hurt, so I'll shut up now."

"I'll rip _it_ off," Ginny muttered under her breath.

"Look, Weasley, seriously, there's no problem. It doesn't bother me in the least that you saw me naked."

"It doesn't bother me either," Ginny said, her confident tone completely overdone.

"Good. I'm glad we got that cleared up." Draco grinned nefariously over the table at her. "Actually, I do have something rather important to ask you."

Ginny took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "What might that be?"

"From a woman's perspective, what do you think? Am I a generous size? Is length really important or is width what counts?"

She opened and closed her mouth several times while waiting for words to form. Her brain had gone directly to hell, and it probably wasn't due back anytime soon, given that all she could think about was the fact that Draco lacked in neither length nor width, in her opinion.

"Are you all right, Weasley?" Draco leaned forward and waved a hand in front of her face. "Are you still breathing?"

"I'm going to work," Ginny ground out, her patience hanging on by the barest of threads.

"Looking like that? You'd be sure to lose a few patients through heart failure if you don't put your uniform on."

Ginny took a deep breath in and released it slowly. "Do I have a clean uniform here? I couldn't find any of the clothes I know I've left here last night."

"They're in the guest room wardrobe," Draco informed her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Draco called as she climbed the stairs.

She hesitated when she got to the doorway of the guest room. The duvet was still on the floor at the foot of the bed, and it was all too easy to envision Draco on the bed, as he was just a short time ago. With determination, Ginny averted her eyes, refusing to look at the bed and strode into the room. The wardrobe was her first port of call, and then she went directly to the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind herself. It didn't take her long to change into her work clothes and make herself presentable.

Determined not to look directly at the bed, Ginny walked directly out of the room, closing the door a little harder than she intended.

"What did the door do to you?" Draco drawled from the top of the stairs.

"It tempted me to open it," Ginny replied superciliously.

"I can understand how that would offend you."

"No, you can't," Ginny said flatly.

Draco bit back his smart arse response and approached her slowly. "Ginny, I'm sorry you were offended."

"I'm not offended." Ginny frowned. "I don't know what I am right now. All I know is that I wasn't expecting—I didn't think that—"

"It doesn't matter," Draco said gently. "You don't have to explain."

"I overreacted," Ginny admitted. "I don't know why, because it's not like I've never seen…" Her voice trailed off uncomfortably.

"I shouldn't have tormented you," Draco confessed, feeling a little guilty now. "It was unnecessary— funny, but not necessary."

Ginny rolled her eyes and smiled despite herself. "I have to get to work."

"You haven't had breakfast yet," Draco pointed out.

"I'll get something on the way."

"You've got plenty of time before your shift starts," Draco insisted. "Stay and have breakfast with me. I promise to behave myself."

"All right, I'll stay for breakfast."

"Good." Draco grinned warmly. "My owl has returned with a beak full of letters, as well. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"Oh, I sent him out this morning with a few responses."

"I guess we should see what he's brought back."

"No, I'll check what he's brought back."

"Just trying to be helpful," Draco said with a cheeky smirk.

"Sure you are." Ginny smirked and shook her head.

"I'm going to have a quick shower," Draco informed her. "Our breakfast should arrive soon."

"Arrive?"

"I ordered fresh croissants."

"I'm going to get fat if you keep feeding me like this," Ginny said as he disappeared into his bedroom.

She heard Draco chuckle from somewhere inside his room. Curious to see what sort of response she received from her early morning letters, Ginny wandered downstairs. The letters were sitting in the middle of dining room table, but before she read them, she went to the kitchen for some fresh coffee.

The first letter was from a woman eager to meet this afternoon. Ginny quickly penned a short acceptance to the invitation and sent Draco's owl on its way. Another want to meet for drinks tonight, which would have been awkward, so Ginny penned a letter suggesting they meet early tomorrow evening. As she reached for the third, Ginny realized that she might need to record all these appointments for him or they'd both forget where he was supposed to be and when he was supposed to be there.

It didn't take her long to locate his briefcase and, inside, his diary. She also took a quill and a sheet of parchment for herself, so she could keep track of where he'd be on any given day. When she returned to the table she opened the diary to this week and entered the date for this afternoon, noting it on the parchment as well.

By the time Draco appeared downstairs, looking like a quintessential businessman, rather than a bed-mussed sex god, their breakfast had arrived, and Ginny had set up several dates for him. She was surprised at how fast these women were returning their answers. Draco's poor owl was going to need a week to recover after all the flying the bird had done this morning.

"I smell fresh pastry," Draco muttered as he walked through. "Are you going to eat while these are still warm?"

"Yeah, I'm getting there," Ginny murmured as she put the finishing touches on the last letter.

"What are you doing?"

"Making dates for you," Ginny answered with a grin.

"Did it occur to you to check with me first? I might have a business meeting or something equally as important," Draco asked cautiously.

"It's all right, I'm cross-checking everything in your diary and writing in the dates I've made for you."

"My diary," Draco uttered as he raised an eyebrow. "And what if I've neglected to write something in there?"

"You'd never do that," Ginny claimed. "You're too anal."

"Fine." Draco braced himself. "Tell me what you've done."

"Well—" Ginny straightened herself up and brought his diary to sit in front of her. "You're meeting someone for coffee this afternoon—"

"I'm having dinner with my parents this evening," Draco cut in.

"This is only coffee, so you won't be late for dinner, and I've informed the lady that you have a family commitment tonight, so she's not expecting anything more than coffee," Ginny informed him. "Tomorrow you're meeting another lady for drinks after work. Friday you're meeting someone for lunch, someone for drinks in the afternoon, and then _someone_ for dinner."

"Bloody hell," Draco hissed. "When am I going to get time to see you?"

"I'm your dinner date," Ginny said flatly.

"Excellent." Draco grinned.

"We can always meet after your dates," Ginny offered. "You can come to mine or I can come here."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Of course, you'll have your own dates by this afternoon."

"We'll still find time to talk every day," Ginny assured him.

"Have some breakfast," Draco insisted. "They're better warm."

As Ginny reached for a croissant, Draco dragged his diary over. He now had a full week of social commitments, as well as various business meetings. A heavy sigh left him as he contemplated what condition the weekend was going to find him in.

"It's not too much, is it?" Ginny asked, noticing Draco's frown as he looked over his diary.

"No, it's fine," Draco lied. "I'll manage."

"I can always—"

"I said it's fine," Draco said adamantly. He could imagine the teasing he'd be subjected to if he showed a moment of weakness or a need for sleep.

"All right, but if it gets too much just let me know, and I can change—"

"Ginny, it'll be fine. After all, it's only coffee and drinks that are out of the ordinary."

"The offer is there," Ginny reiterated.

"What do I need to know for this afternoon?" Draco inquired.

"You'll need a pink rose for identification. Her name is Rosalie, and she's interested in getting to know you slowly, so no suggesting you duck off to a dark corner for a quick shag."

"Give me some credit, Weasley," Draco complained. "I do have some scruples."

"Not when it comes to getting a shag," Ginny pointed out knowingly. "You'll take it anywhere, anytime."

"Fine, no shagging or suggesting shagging," Draco agreed reluctantly. "What if she brings it up?"

"Be a gentleman and pretend you're not that type of bloke," Ginny suggested with a wry grin.

Draco sighed and shook his head sadly. "Now I'm an actor as well."

"That's not a new art for you," Ginny mentioned. "You act like you care about your floozies every time you meet one."

"Touché." Draco grinned at her.

Ginny glanced at the clock on the wall. "Egads! Is that the right time?"

"You know it is," Draco answered.

"Shit! Shit!"

"Problem, Weasley?"

"I'm late for work," Ginny stated as she gathered her things and shoved them into her handbag. "Don't be late this afternoon and Floo me later to let me know how it went."

"Have a nice day, Weasley," Draco replied, ignoring all her demands.

"You too!" Ginny planted a sloppy, rushed kiss on his cheek. "And don't be rude to this woman."

"As if—" Draco's retort died on his lips as a loud pop echoed through his flat, signaling that she was no longer within hearing distance.

He leaned back in his chair, glancing over his diary again. Sleep was for the weak it seemed. There was one thing he felt certain he must find time to do sometime this week: kill Blaise Zabini.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ginny rushed into the coffee shop, eager to see what Draco's date looked like, so she could appraise the woman for herself. She stopped short in the doorway as she spied him sitting in the far corner, opposite a woman she'd never seen before. Not wanting to be caught spying on him, Ginny moved quickly to the opposite side of the shop, sat down at a vacant table and ordered a cup of tea.

From her position, she had a good view of the woman who had responded to the advertisement. Ginny looked at her critically. For the most part, she was a homely looking woman. She wore no makeup, and her brown hair hung limply to her shoulders. If she put a little effort in, Ginny was sure this woman could be quite pretty, but as it was she looked unattractive, to put it politely, and totally not Draco's type.

After a few minutes Ginny realized that Draco seemed to be doing all the talking. She had to give him points for that at least, especially when she could tell right away that this woman wasn't the one for him. Safe in the knowledge that he wasn't likely to entice her into a dark corner for a quick shag, Ginny drained her teacup and left the café.

She had her own date to keep, according to the note she'd received from Draco earlier in the day. Not wanting to be late, Ginny walked down the street to the small pub where her date would be waiting. It looked like a cozy establishment, perfect for meeting someone. At this early hour, there weren't many patrons, so it was easy to see that her date hadn't yet arrived or he wasn't willing to identify himself at the moment, because she could see no sign of the yellow rose he was supposed to be carrying.

Rather than go straight to the bar, Ginny found the ladies' room and checked her appearance first. Satisfied that she didn't look hideous, she wandered back into the bar area. Another quick search of the patrons showed that her date hadn't yet arrived. She approached the bar and ordered a white wine, before moving to a small table in the corner with a good view of the door.

Ginny was aware that she was attracting some attention from the predominantly male patrons, though none of them approached her in the time she was waiting. When she finished her wine, she ordered another and resumed her seat again. She began to wonder if her date was here and was simply waiting for her to identify herself, but Draco was very firm about when she should expose her yellow rose: not until she'd scrutinized the man and decided that he wasn't a murderer or someone she might not feel comfortable with.

Debating whether or not to pull her rose from her handbag, Ginny was startled when a man burst into the small pub, clutching a yellow rose in one hand, with an expression of panic on his face. She watched him look around the pub. His eyes paused on her, and she could almost see his thoughts forming.

He was older than she, or at least he appeared to be older, given he was graying at the temples, but that didn't really matter to her. She scrutinized him for a few seconds, cataloguing what she observed and coming to the conclusion that this man wasn't likely to drag her into a dark alley and do away with her.

With great care, Ginny slipped her hand into her handbag and extracted her yellow rose. The man's smile lit up his entire being. While he walked towards her, Ginny prepared herself mentally for whatever might come from this point forward. She'd never done anything like this before, so she was suddenly uncertain what the protocols were and nerves began to flutter through her stomach.

"Hello," the man greeted.

"Hello, you must be Roger," Ginny replied politely.

"I am, and you're Ginny?"

"Yes, I am." Ginny smiled pleasantly. "Would you like to sit down?"

"I might just grab myself a drink first," Roger replied. "What are you drinking?"

"White wine," Ginny replied.

"I'll be right back," Roger promised.

Ginny leaned back in her chair, her nerves vanquished as she realized this would be as easy as meeting someone at a party or the pub on a Friday night.

"Here we go," Roger announced, placing the drinks on the table. "I'm so sorry I was late. I was held up at work."

"That's fine," Ginny responded. "No need to apologize."

"It's not really," Roger insisted. "I promised I'd be here at a certain time, and my wanker of a boss insisted I finish a report, even though he was leaving early and won't read it until tomorrow."

"Where do you work?" Ginny asked, trying to gently move the conversation forward.

"Malfoy Incorporated," Roger answered.

Ginny's eyes went wide for just a fraction of a second, and she clamped her mouth shut, so she wouldn't be tempted to say anything.

"I swear I'm going to knock Draco bloody Malfoy off his pedestal one day."

"Oh," Ginny breathed more than articulated.

"It's all right for him to leave early, but if any of us want to leave _on time_ it's inconvenient," Roger growled. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be going on about work politics."

"It's fine." Ginny plastered a smile on her face. "You obviously need to vent a little."

"But I shouldn't bore you with the details," Roger insisted. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a Healer's Assistant at St. Mungo's, so if you think dealing with Draco Malfoy is difficult, you might want to try spending a day arguing with stubborn patients and arrogant Healers." Ginny laughed lightly, in an effort to improve the mood.

"Believe me, that man makes Dementors look friendly," Roger assured her.

Ginny smirked. She was trying not to react to his comments, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. All she wanted to do was burst out laughing. It wasn't that she blamed the man for hating Draco, because she could well imagine what Draco was like to work for, after hearing the complaints he had about his staff. The door of the pub opened, interrupting her thoughts, and Ginny's eyes flicked up to see who was walking in. She gasped before she could catch herself. "I think we should change the subject now," she whispered.

"I'm boring you; I'm so sorry," Roger apologized.

"Not at all, but I've got a feeling you'd have a really rotten day at work tomorrow if your boss overheard you telling me what you think of him." Ginny nodded towards the bar, where Draco had made himself comfortable. "That's him, isn't it?" she asked innocently.

"Yes." Roger sighed. "That's him. I can't even go to the pub for a quiet drink, with a pretty lady, without being reminded of work."

"You don't have to acknowledge him," Ginny said. "It's not like you're on company time."

"You're right. So what do you like to do in your spare time?"

"Well, I spend most of my spare time with my best friend and my family."

"Large family?"

"Yes." Ginny smiled, knowing what she was about to say usually sent most men running in the opposite direction as fast as they could manage. "I have six older brothers."

"Six? All brothers?" Roger blinked a few times, but to his credit didn't bolt. "Well, that is a sizable family."

"How about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Ginny inquired, attempting to sound interested, even though her eyes kept flicking to the bar and Draco, who didn't look pleased at all.

"I have a younger sister," Roger admitted. "She married her school sweetheart."

"Aww that's lovely. Do they have any children?"

"A baby boy," Roger answered. "I like spending time with him."

"I love spending time with my nieces and nephews as well," Ginny confessed. "There's something so refreshing about spending a day with children."

"Not to mention exhausting."

"You haven't experienced exhaustion yet, if your nephew is only a baby." Ginny laughed. "Wait until he's running around, touching everything."

"You might be right there," Roger conceded. "Are you free for dinner?"

Ginny glanced surreptitiously at Draco. His expression was dark and his eyes were as cold as winter. "No, sorry. My mum's expecting me tonight."

"That's a shame," Roger intoned genuinely. "I'm really enjoying your company."

"What is the time?" Ginny asked curiously.

Roger plucked a pocket watch from his cloak pocket and opened it up. "It's almost six o'clock."

"Oh dear," Ginny expressed. "I'd best be off before Mum sends a search party for me."

"So soon?"

"I'm really sorry, but I do have to go," Ginny told him as sincerely as she could manage. "I did enjoy meeting you."

"Perhaps we can have dinner sometime?"

"I have your owl address and you have mine," Ginny said easily.

"Well, it was a pleasure, Ginny," Roger said as he took her hand and shook it warmly.

"Thank you." Ginny smiled as she got to her feet. "Perhaps we'll see each other again."

"I hope so," Roger said as she walked away.

Without looking at the bar, Ginny walked directly to the door of the pub and escaped into the street. She hoped Draco would be discreet enough not to say anything to Roger, but it wasn't something she'd bet money on. He was clearly not pleased with who she was drinking with and she was sure to hear about it sooner or later.

Not sure that she wanted to hear Draco rant on about Roger tonight, Ginny moved down the street quickly. He knew where to find her, if he was desperate enough to have his opinion known before tomorrow. She was curious to see what Draco thought of his date, even though she already knew there'd be no match with that woman on her looks alone. His opinion would be amusing, if nothing else, and she needed a good laugh.

Ginny let herself into her flat and locked the door behind herself. She slipped her cloak off her shoulders and hung it on the rack beside the door, along with her handbag.

"You took your time," Draco drawled.

She jumped visibly and clutched her chest as her heart tried to burst through her ribcage. "For fuck's sake, Malfoy!"

"You're so unobservant, Weasley." Draco shook his head. "Anyone could be in here waiting for you and you'd be totally oblivious until they attacked you."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "And who, besides you, would be waiting in here?"

"A murderer, a rapist—"

"Oooh… I might get a shag," she teased.

"I'm not kidding, Weasley," Draco said seriously.

"All right," Ginny said. "I'm sorry. I shall remember to be more vigilant when walking into my own home."

"Thank you," Draco responded curtly. "Now, what did that lecherous arse have to say for himself?"

"Who?"

"Steiffeman," Draco prompted. "Your date?"

"Oh, you mean Roger."

"Is that his first name?"

Ginny stared at him with disbelief. She really shouldn't have been surprised that Draco didn't know the man's first name, but his attitude gnawed at her. "No wonder he thinks you're a wanker."

Draco laughed.

"What's wrong with you? That's an insult!"

"Oh, sorry." Draco tried to compose his face, but his lips kept twitching with the desire to laugh. "This is my concerned face."

"You're impossible," Ginny exclaimed.

"Thank you." Draco grinned broadly. "So, what did the two of you talk about?"

"Work and family." Ginny frowned. "Actually, except for when he was telling me about you, it was a bit boring."

"And what was it when he was telling you about me?"

"That was hilarious." Ginny giggled. "I had to bite my mouth to stop from laughing at times. He really hates you."

"He's not paid to like me," Draco said dryly. "I assume you have no interest in seeing him again?"

"No, I don't think so. Besides, you'd probably sack him."

"I wouldn't," Draco refuted. "Not right away."

"Enough about me. How was your date?"

"Do me a favor: the next time you set me up with someone like that warn me first, so I can bring my pillow."

"That bad?"

"Dead boring," Draco confirmed. "I swear there were times when I thought the woman had swallowed her tongue."

"She was a bit ordinary looking too," Ginny added.

"How do you know?"

"Hah, you didn't see me," Ginny sang, pleased that she'd gotten away with her surveillance efforts.

"No, I didn't, but now that I know you're likely to be lurking about I'll be more aware of my surroundings."

"You can't complain," Ginny claimed. "You came to my date."

"And if I hadn't you wouldn't have—"

"I would have, because Roger pretty much started venting about work the moment he got there. Your name came up pretty fast, along with some other pretty synonyms your staff have for you."

"I'm sure," Draco drawled, unconcerned. "I suppose I should go to dinner. You don't want to come, do you?"

"No thank you," Ginny declined with a smile. "I think I might curl up in bed with a good book tonight."

"You live such an exciting life," Draco said with exaggerated false wistfulness.

"You're just jealous," Ginny taunted. "Have a lovely night with your parents."

"I shall." Draco smirked. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Breakfast or after work?"

"After work. I have a breakfast meeting."

"Don't forget you're meeting someone for drinks after work," Ginny reminded him.

"I'll meet you there straight after work and you can make yourself scarce when she arrives," Draco suggested.

"Fine, but don't expect me to disappear totally."

"Whatever turns you on, Weasley." Draco kissed her forehead. "Tomorrow."

"See you then," Ginny called to the air that was rushing in to fill the space where he stood just seconds before.

She wandered to her room, changed into something more comfortable and made her way to the kitchen to find some food. There was a note from Luna on the table, explaining that she was going to be late this evening. It suited Ginny just fine, as she could have a sandwich for dinner and not worry about hurting her roommate's feelings.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	6. Complaints

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little._

_**Author's Notes**__: Written for scarlettrayne2 for t__he Fall 2008 __dgficexchange. Huge thank you to my beta, rainpuddle13 for her patience, commentary and skill._

**TRUTH WILL OUT**

**COMPLAINTS**

"Weasley, we really have to talk," Draco said as they forced their way through the Friday night crowds at their local pub.

"Another bad one?" Ginny asked, pushing her way through a group of people standing in front of the restaurant doors.

"You know, let's go somewhere else," Draco suggested. "It's insane in here tonight."

"Fine with me," Ginny responded.

Draco grabbed her hand, and they slowly fought their way to the front doors. He didn't slow down or drop her hand as they walked down the street, looking for a quiet restaurant. Everywhere seemed to be overflowing with customers this evening and Draco was growing more and more irritated.

"We'll try in here," he stated.

Ginny looked at the queue that snaked into the street. "But it's—"

"They have private rooms that are insanely expensive to use," Draco muttered.

"Oh."

Draco pushed his way through to the reception counter and quickly spoke to the maitre d'. Ginny saw his hand disappear into his pocket and come back out with a handful of gold Galleons, which were slipped into the other man's hand. After that they were being led to the rear of the restaurant and ushered into a private room.

A waitress offered Ginny a menu, but Draco pushed it back to her and ordered for both of them off the top of his head.

Ginny frowned at him when the waitress disappeared.

"Trust me, you'll love it," Draco assured her.

"What if I didn't feel like—"

"The chef is famous for—"

"Fine, I'll love it." Ginny sighed. "Now, we need to talk, yes?"

"Yes," Draco agreed. "These women you're setting me up with… They're all dead boring, Ginny. I'm almost falling asleep over coffee or Firewhisky."

"They're not coming across that way on paper," Ginny said. "Most sound like they'd be fun."

"It's just not working for me," Draco admitted. "Wednesday's date was closely related to a sleeping potion, Thursday's was… well, there's no nice way to say it… She was uglier than a mountain troll. Lunch was a nightmare; the woman wouldn't stop giggling the entire time. Drinks tonight… Well, you saw her, and I thought only men were capable of being that sleazy."

"Perhaps advertising in the paper wasn't the right thing to do," Ginny mused aloud. "The men you've set me up with are…"

"Say no more." Draco ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He was thankful that he'd decided to hang around for Ginny's dates, because he'd already had to pull one man off her and remind him that the ad had strictly forbidden octopi or those related to octopi from applying, and another looked like he'd had a terrible accident with a hot cauldron. "The paper seems to reek of desperation."

"I don't know what else we can do."

Both held their tongues as their food was delivered. Ginny breathed in deep and found her mouth watering profusely. As he promised, dinner was going to be excellent.

"Well, we can't just opt out, because of that damned contract," Draco growled as soon as the waitress had removed herself. "Remind me to kill Zabini."

"It's at the top of my to-do list."

"So, what do we do?"

"What if we just tone it down a bit? We don't have to meet someone every day," Ginny suggested.

"Mmm… The contract didn't say how often or how many dates we had to go on," Draco pondered.

"It's only for another three weeks," Ginny said.

"Three weeks," Draco repeated.

"Ugh, it sounds like a lifetime!"

"Okay, one or two dates a week, but only when we're both free, so we can have a support person with us," Draco proposed.

"Why do we need support?" Ginny asked, still amused that he insisted on hanging around during her dates.

"Well, you need it while your date is there, just in case things get out of hand or he's a creep, and I need it afterwards… A shoulder to cry upon is very comforting after an hour of torture."

Ginny giggled into her napkin. Anyone would think she was sending him to have his soul sucked out every time she set him up with a date. "Okay, let's do it with support."

"So what do I have coming up?"

"Your next date is on Wednesday. Drinks after work at the Leaky Cauldron."

"Right." Draco nodded, acknowledging the information. "Your next one is for brunch on Sunday morning."

"Great," Ginny said unenthusiastically.

"I might see if Zabini wants to come to brunch with me, so I don't look out of place," Draco said.

"Oh good! After brunch we can kill him."

"Sounds like a plan."

They clinked their glasses together in a show of solidarity. This arrangement was going to kill one of them soon, if they didn't do something to stem the flow of pathetic dates they were subjecting each other to.

"So what are you doing tomorrow?" Ginny asked curiously.

"We're going to the Nott's ball, remember?"

"Oh yes, of course."

"You forgot, didn't you?" Draco looked at her knowingly. "I offer to take you somewhere really special and you forget."

"No, I didn't," Ginny insisted.

"You have organized your gown, haven't you?"

"Yes, I did that weeks ago," Ginny promised.

"Weasley, if you haven't, you're going to need my influence—"

"Malfoy, it's hanging in my closet," Ginny assured him. "I just have to figure out the hair and makeup." Ginny sighed. With a ball as big as the Nott's annual event finding a hair stylist at this time would be near on impossible.

"Leave it to me," Draco answered, shaking his head. "Just make sure you're home all day tomorrow, because I can't guarantee what time I'll be able to secure for you."

"You're a darling," Ginny crooned.

"Well, you will be on my arm tomorrow night, so I have to make sure you look half decent."

Ginny shook her head ruefully. "And you were doing so well."

"You do fall so easily into a false sense of security," Draco drawled playfully. "It's just too easy."

She slapped him jokingly and began to laugh. It didn't take long for Draco to join her, and then they were lost for a good five minutes in their own world of hilarity. By the time they regained control both of them were red in the face and breathless.

"What would I do without you?" Ginny asked, as she tried to even out her breathing.

"You'd be bored to tears," Draco answered with a chuckle. "And so would I."

They shared a rare look between them. It was one that brought their souls to the surface and allowed the other to see the other person in their purest form. If anyone had walked in on this private moment they might have thought Draco and Ginny were lovers, rather than best friends.

"Dessert?" Draco inquired, breaking the moment before he became emotional.

"Chocolate?" Ginny returned with a grin.

"I knew you needed chocolate this week!"

She rolled her eyes. "I always need chocolate."

"Well, in that case, the chef here does an amazing chocolate mousse."

"To die for?"

"People have been known to fight to the death to lick the bowl clean."

"Sounds perfect."

Draco summoned their waitress and ordered two extra large serves of the delectable treat, along with coffee.

"We should get an early night tonight," Draco suggested. "I wouldn't want you falling asleep tomorrow night."

"I suppose that would be considered rude in your circle," Ginny responded, tossing her nose in the air in a parody of a society witch.

"Only if you snore," Draco pointed out snootily.

Ginny giggled. "Well, I'm buggered then."

"That you are, my little steam train," Draco agreed with an amused grin.

"Will dinner be served tomorrow night?"

"Yes, of course," Draco replied.

"Good, I won't have to worry about dinner beforehand then."

"No, just keeping clean while you eat at the ball," Draco pointed out, remember a past experience.

"That was hardly my fault," Ginny responded.

"I warned you not to stand near Crabbe or Goyle while you're eating."

"They snuck up on me," Ginny claimed.

The waitress arrived with their dessert, silencing their conversation for the time being. When the door closed again, Draco looked at Ginny with a wicked grin.

"I suppose you're just lucky they didn't try to lick you clean," Draco said casually. "After all, those two do like their food."

Ginny's spoon paused halfway to her mouth. "Are you trying to put me off my dessert?"

"Did it work?"

She thought for a moment before shoving the entire spoon into her mouth. "No," Ginny answered through a mouthful of chocolate mousse.

Draco groaned. "Weasley, if you're going to do that tomorrow night, please don't do it anywhere near my mother. I'd never hear the end of it if you did."

"I'll try to remember that," Ginny replied sweetly. "But there's just so many things I need to remember, so I don't embarrass you, that I'm likely to forget something."

"So you don't embarrass yourself," Draco corrected.

"Like I care what that lot think of me."

"They can be needlessly vicious, Ginny, and I don't want you to become one of their targets," Draco said seriously. "They've, honestly, got nothing better to do with their time than make other people's lives a misery."

"I believe you," Ginny responded sincerely. "I'll be on my best behavior, I promise."

"Good, because I'd hate to have to kill someone on your behalf." Draco winked at her.

"And visiting you in Azkaban would be a pain in the rear," Ginny commented. She frowned into her bowl. "Well, that didn't last long."

"But it was the best mousse you've ever had, wasn't it?"

"Oh yes." Ginny smiled. "We must come here more often. I wonder if they do the mousse as a main course?"

Draco's expression shifted to disgust immediately. "You'd make yourself sick."

"Maybe, but it'd be worth it."

He shook his head and sighed. "Unbelievable, Weasley."

Ginny grinned at him over her bowl, and then returned to licking the crystal clean.

"Come on, let's get you out of here before they kick you out for displaying appalling table manners," Draco suggested.

"You wouldn't let them do that to me."

"I might be tempted," Draco warned.

"You wouldn't be able to live with yourself if you did," Ginny advised.

"I suppose you have a theory that would explain why I would find it difficult to live with myself after that?" Draco posed.

"Pfft." Ginny waved a hand through the air. "Too easy!"

"Well, I'm listening, Weasley?"

"You love me, and you would never let them do that to me."

Draco chuckled lightly. "You wish. Come on, Weasley, let's get you home."

After settling their bill, Draco and Ginny walked the short distance to Ginny's flat. They continued to goad each other all the way, but it was all in good fun, and by the time they reached her doorway they were both laughing loud enough to garner the attention of some of her neighbors.

"I suppose I'd better go in before someone calls the Aurors," Ginny said, giggling at one of her neighbor's disgusted glares.

"The last thing I feel like doing tonight is explaining myself to Potter," Draco stated, snorting as the laughter he was trying to hold in burst out. "Good night, Weasley."

"Night, Draco," Ginny uttered as his lips brushed her cheek.

"Get inside and lock the door," Draco instructed.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Ginny promised just before she closed the door.

As usual, Draco rested his head on the door, waiting for the locks fall into place. "Sleep tight, Weasley."

"Don't let the bed bugs bite, Malfoy," Ginny whispered from behind the door.

Draco allowed his fingers to linger on the wooden door for a few more seconds, and then he Disapparated.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	7. The Green Eyed Monster

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little._

_**Author's Notes**__: Written for scarlettrayne2 for t__he Fall 2008 __dgficexchange. Huge thank you to my beta, rainpuddle13 for her patience, commentary and skill._

**TRUTH WILL OUT**

**THE GREEN EYED MONSTER**

"Whose foolish idea was it to meet for brunch the morning after a ball?" Blaise grumbled as he slid into a chair between Draco and Luna. "I should still be sleeping!"

"Next time I come up with a stupid idea like this kill me or something," Draco muttered wearily.

"I promise," Blaise answered sincerely.

"It's all right for you lot, at least you can just sit here and die. I have to put a smile on my face and pretend I'm actually interested in whatever this git has to say," Ginny snarled.

"Sorry," Draco mumbled regretfully.

"So you should be," Ginny responded grumpily.

"Coffee?" Luna offered brightly.

The other three occupants turned their tired eyes on her. If they had possessed the energy she might have been in danger of being glared to death, but as it was only three weak replies to the affirmative were issued.

Draco managed a weak glare in Ginny's direction as the blonde witch bounced up to the counter of the café and placed their order. "Why is she here?"

"I invited her," Ginny admitted. "I felt awful going out again and leaving her at home."

"You shouldn't complain," Blaise said to Draco. "After all, she's getting the coffee."

"Point taken," Draco mumbled.

"Coffee's here!" Luna sang loudly.

Draco glanced at Blaise questioningly.

"Fine, we should have got our own coffee," Blaise conceded quietly.

"This is so good," Ginny declared. "Luna, you're an angel."

"I got double shots for all of you, because you all look like you've been attacked by Wrackspurts." Luna looked around at her companions with concern clearly etched on her face.

Draco looked like he was in pain as a deep frown creased his forehead. "What?"

"Don't," Ginny begged. "Please don't."

"Are we looking for yellow roses?" Blaise asked.

"Yeah," Draco answered.

"One just walked in." Blaise nodded in the direction of the door.

"Fuck," Draco breathed more than said when he spied the man with the yellow rose.

"Oh my God! I don't believe it!" Ginny was out of her chair and across the café before she finished speaking.

"She's not seriously going to entertain that—"

"Seamus Finnigan!" Ginny shrieked with more energy than she'd exhibited all morning.

"Ginny Weasley! How are you?" Seamus replied enthusiastically. "It's been years."

"I've been great," Ginny expressed, obviously ignoring the fact that she was suffering the hang over of the century. "I haven't seen you since you left Hogwarts."

"We'll have to catch up sometime," Seamus promised, glancing around the café in a distracted fashion.

"What about right now?" Ginny asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm meeting someone," Seamus explained.

Ginny's hand dove into her bag and pulled out a mangled yellow rose. "You're meeting me."

"You? Well I'll be!"

"Why don't we get a table?" Ginny suggested, aware that they were creating a scene, not to mention blocking the doorway.

"Sure," Seamus agreed.

"Fuck," Draco hissed.

"What's wrong?" Luna inquired innocently.

"She doesn't need to be getting involved with the likes of Finnigan," Draco whispered harshly. "He's got a reputation as a philanderer."

"Like you?" Luna asked.

Draco looked at her, his eyes growing wide before they narrowed viciously. "Worse than me," he ground out.

Luna giggled lightly. "There's someone worse than you?"

Blaise cleared his throat, knowing it took very little to distract the blonde.

"Are you all right, Blaise? You're not coming down with something are you?" Luna leaned over and placed her cold hand against his cheek.

"She's laughing with him," Draco snarled angrily.

"Settle down, mate," Blaise encouraged quietly. "They're old friends."

"He's looking for an easy shag," Draco growled.

"Aren't we all?" Blaise countered.

"I don't like him," Draco stated. "Look, he's _touching _her."

"That's so sweet," Luna trilled. "People who hold hands have a real connection, did you know?"

"It is not sweet," Draco determined fiercely.

Blaise cringed, knowing he had to say something before his friend did something foolish. "Malfoy, you're starting to sound a little—"

"What? Sound a little _what_?" Draco demanded furiously.

"Protective?" Blaise tried cautiously. It wasn't quite the description he was looking for, but he didn't have a death wish, despite how horrendously his head was thumping.

"I am not—" Draco started to growl dangerously, but stopped when he heard Ginny's shrill laugh.

Draco's eyes snapped over to the table where his best friend sat again. She was having the time of her life with the Irish git. There were tears streaming down her face, and he knew their cause wasn't grief. All of a sudden, he was staring straight into the eyes of Seamus Finnigan.

"Easy," Blaise said softly as he placed a hand on Draco's shoulder.

Every fiber in his body tensed and Draco narrowed his cold, furious eyes on the Irish wizard. All he could think about was ripping his head off. So caught up in his murderous plans, Draco failed to see Ginny get up from her table and walk over.

"Uh oh," Blaise whispered, moving his chair a few inches away from Draco.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ginny demanded.

"I don't like him," Draco snapped.

"Well, it's not about what you like, is it?" Ginny responded flippantly.

"Do you like him?" Draco asked incredulously.

"He's an old friend, Malfoy. We haven't seen each other in years and we have a lot to talk about."

"But do you like him?" Draco persisted. "As a potential boyfriend?"

Ginny frowned, thinking about how to answer the question. "I might."

"You've got to be—" Draco's rage, which had consumed him the moment she answered, disappeared suddenly. "You're lying," he said smugly.

"What makes you think that?" Ginny asked, tossing her hair over her shoulder confidently.

Draco smirked and his eyes began to twinkle with mischief. "I'd tell the truth if I were you, Weasley."

"I did," Ginny said stubbornly.

"Your body is telling me different."

"You just think you know me," Ginny snarled. "In reality, you only see what you want to see."

"No, I don't think so," Draco said calmly.

His cool demeanor was starting to really irk her, and her temper was beginning to climb towards boiling point. "I don't believe you," Ginny hissed. "You set this date up, and now you're acting like a complete bastard, because I'm actually having a good time."

"That's beside the point," Draco insisted. "The fact is that you don't want Finnigan for a boyfriend."

"I said I might," Ginny ground out. "In fact, I might take him home now and shag his brains out."

"Well, I can't stop you, but you might want to do something about your appearance first," Draco drawled casually.

"_What_?" Ginny looked at him as if he'd taken leave of his senses.

"It's just that he might be a bit put off by your appearance," Draco replied vaguely.

Ginny leaned over, so she was mere inches from Draco's face. "If you don't start making sense soon I'm going to hex that smirk off your face."

"Do you like Finnigan?" Draco asked.

"Yes."

"Do you think you might like to pursue a relationship with Finnigan?"

"Perhaps."

Blaise suddenly snorted with laughter. "I'm sorry… Really, I'm sorry, but she's—"

"Yes, I know what she is, Zabini," Draco responded evenly. "I'm just waiting for her to realize the consequences of what she's done."

Ginny looked around at each of the occupants of the table. Luna seemed almost oblivious to the conflict, Blaise looked ready to burst with laughter and Draco was obviously quietly amused, not to mention smug. "I'll talk to you tonight," she snapped in Draco's face.

"Oh, I think you'll be talking to me a bit sooner than that, Weasley," Draco said confidently as she walked away.

He watched her carefully for a reaction, because he knew it would be subtle. Draco wasn't disappointed. Her right hand slipped behind her back and the middle finger extended in a gesture that told him that she'd heard what he'd said at least. A smug smirk crept across his mouth, and his eyes twinkled as he watched Finnigan's face for his reaction.

It took a few seconds and several facial expressions, ranging from surprise to horror, for Finnigan to finally reach what Draco was waiting for — hilarity. The fact that Finnigan almost fell off his chair sideways while laughing was a little bonus Draco hadn't expected, but the real reward was the man's inability to articulate and tell Ginny what was so funny.

She spun around to glower him, not that it bothered Draco, because he was expecting something, and her sharp gaze wasn't something that would do him any harm. Blaise promptly fell sideways, into Luna, unable to hold himself up while laughing so hard. Luna was more concerned with the hulk of a man leaning on her to pay her roommate any attention, which was a good thing in Draco's mind, because she'd likely spoil the fun by telling Ginny the problem.

Seconds later she was gone. Draco's amusement turned into a frown immediately. He hadn't been expecting her to just leave.

"Shit," Draco hissed.

"I think she's a bit pissed," Blaise said, trying to bring himself under control.

"I'd better—" Draco began.

"Better you than me," Blaise commented, still giggling to himself. "What sort of music would you like played at your funeral?"

"Very funny," Draco snapped as he got up.

"Oi, Malfoy, what's going on?" Seamus asked. "Ginny told me about the competition you two had going, so why did she—"

"Zabini, explain to the moron and take care of their bill," Draco instructed.

"Where are you going?" Seamus asked when Draco started moving towards the door again.

"I'm going after her," Draco said patiently.

"You might want to take this." Seamus picked Ginny's handbag off the chair next to him.

"Great," Draco muttered, accepting the bag. "She just had to bring the fucking pink one today."

"I think it suits you, Malfoy," Blaise said, snorting as he finished. "Pink really lifts the color in your cheeks."

Draco turned his cold, hard eyes on his friend. If he had the time right now he'd hex him until he begged for mercy.

"Then again, that could just be fury," Blaise continued, still not able to control his amusement.

With a snarl, Draco tucked Ginny's pink handbag under his arm and went after her. He looked down the street in both directions and couldn't see her trademark red hair anywhere, so he Disapparated.

When he arrived at her flat he hammered on the door. "Ginny!"

There was no answer, but he thought he could hear a muffled sound just inside the door. "Ginny, come on… Open up!"

Again, there was no response, apart from the muffled sound on the other side of the door.

Draco took a deep breath and weighed up his options. If he stood there all day, yelling and belting on the door, someone was bound to alert the Aurors sooner or later, so he had to get her to either open up or he had to get inside. The latter seemed the most likely to be plausible at the moment, even though it would probably put him in mortal danger, given that her distress would give way to anger at some point.

"Weasley, this is your last chance. Open up or I'm coming in whether you want me to or not," Draco threatened.

He counted to ten, hoping that she would respond, but not really thinking she would. His hand ran through his hair in frustration when he realized he had no choice — he would have to Apparate directly into her flat.

The moment he landed inside the sitting room a projectile zoomed past his head and smashed into the wall opposite.

"You bastard! How could you?"

Draco dodged another missile, and then ran at her before she could pick up anything else. She wasn't easy to contain, but after a few minutes of struggle and cursing Draco had her arms safely pinned to her sides and her body flush against his.

"We're going to talk about this reasonably, Weasley," Draco said evenly.

"Let me go!"

"Not until I know you won't try to take my head off with a vase," Draco responded. "Are you going to stop struggling?"

"No," Ginny snapped, renewing her efforts to break free.

"I'm not letting you go," Draco growled into her ear.

She was getting harder to hold, but he was determined not to let her loose until she understood what had happened, and then she might not be so resolute in her efforts to kill him.

"You're going to listen to me, or I'm not going to let you go," Draco said quietly.

"Nothing you say is—"

"Weasley—Ginny, you need to hear this," Draco insisted. "I didn't do anything to you or anyone else."

"Liar!"

The irony of the situation wasn't lost on Draco, and he thought he might even find it funny later on or perhaps in a decade. "I'm not lying."

"You are! Let me go!" Ginny screamed.

"Not until you—" Draco's words were cut short as he was shoved against the wall and Ginny fell from his arms. "What the— Aaugh!"

"Don't move a muscle, Malfoy," Ron snarled in his ear.

"Fuck, Weasley, get off me," Draco demanded.

"I always knew you'd snap one day," Ron continued. "It was just a matter of time."

"Ginny! Ginny, for shit's sake tell your idiot brother to get off me," Draco called.

"Ignore him," Harry said gruffly.

"You're under arrest, Malfoy," Ron said with something akin to glee. "You have the right to remain silent — I actually advise you to take that right and embrace it — you have…"

Draco's mind shut down as Ron Weasley continued reading him his rights. He couldn't believe this happening. Somewhere in the flat he could hear Potter's voice over the sound of a woman sobbing — Ginny. Desperate to get to her, to soothe her, Draco began to struggle against her brother.

"You're really stupid, you know that?" Ron snapped.

A flash of light bright enough to make him see spots, followed by another burst of pain, and Draco found he couldn't move. He couldn't even bat his eyelashes. While his mind screamed for release, his mouth remained still. All he could do was stare up at Weasley, pleading with his eyes for understanding.

"That'll hold you, you mongrel," Ron spat.

Again, Draco tried to offer some form of explanation with his eyes, but the buffoon hovering over him was too stupid to realize he had anything to say.

Ron leaned over Draco, getting close enough to feel his shallow breath on his face. "I swear, if you've hurt her in any way I'm going to kill you."

Horrified that someone thought that he could or would hurt Ginny, Draco doubled his efforts to defend himself, but all he could do was scream inside his head. It was beginning to hurt and as he calmed himself down, he began to wonder why Ginny wasn't defending him — demanding that her brother release him. He could still hear her crying and Potter's pathetic attempts to pacify her, but he couldn't tell where they were in the flat.

"Harry, I'll take the lowlife in," Ron said. "As soon as Ginny's calm enough—"

"We'll follow straight away," Harry said. "I don't think she's going to calm down for a bit."

"Maybe we should get Mum," Ron pondered aloud.

A trickle of fear, unlike what he was already feeling, snaked its way down his spine. The last thing Draco wanted or needed right now was Molly Weasley in his face when she thought he'd done something to her baby girl.

Harry blew out a lung full of air in a long, loud huff. "Do you really want your mum ranting and raving in the department? She'd want his balls off right away."

"Yeah, you're right." Ron sighed. "There wouldn't be enough left for the Wizengamot to deal with, and then we'd be left explaining."

If it were possible, Draco would have sighed with relief. He'd still have to face the Weasley Matriarch later, but he'd not be so vulnerable then, he hoped.

"The paperwork would be a nightmare! How about Bill or Charlie?" Harry suggested. "She's going to need someone, and we've got to interview the scum."

"Yeah, I'll Floo the Burrow and see if I can get one of them to come to the office," Ron agreed.

_Bill or Charlie?_ Draco wanted to ask them to just kill him now. If either of those two got their hands on him while he was in this state they'd torture him until he begged for death, then they'd laugh at him and begin the torture all over again.

Draco heard heavy footsteps move away from his prone body, and he could hear Ron making the Floo call. The danger of the situation he was in was becoming all too clear. Weasley and Potter meant to charge him with something, but he wasn't sure they'd informed him yet. Of course, Weasley could very well have told him at some stage, but he'd zoned his voice out a couple of times.

The thing that was bothering him the most was the absence of his best friend. He understood that she was upset — the projectiles had proven that — but she must realize by now that her brother was intent on taking him into Auror Headquarters. Still, she obviously wasn't coming to his rescue at the moment, though he was sure she would if he could just explain to her what was going on. She might even find it funny, given time.

"Right, let's go, you lowlife," Ron snarled as he levitated Draco's body. "I want to get home for some lunch."

He'd have sneered at him, if he could have moved at all. That little fact was just adding itself to everything else that was irking him at the moment when he heard Ginny gasp in horror. A small wave of relief started to dilute some of the irritation. She was going to step in now and save him an embarrassing trip to the Ministry.

"Don't look, Ginny," Harry said. "It's never pleasant to see someone taken in against their will."

_What?_ Draco's mind screamed. _Don't listen to him, Ginny. Please!_

"Is anyone coming, Ron?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Ron answered. "When I told them what happened, Bill and Charlie said they'd meet us there."

"Excellent. I'm going to transport Ginny now," Harry said. "Do you need me to come back and give you a hand?"

"No, we'll be fine," Ron replied.

Draco felt a boot go into his side. His ribs screamed in pain, but he couldn't let the world know.

"Won't we, Malfoy?" Ron inquired maliciously.

"No problem. I'll see you when you get there then," Harry said offhandedly.

"Might be a while," Ron said dangerously.

_Ginny… Ginny… Don't leave me with him,_ Draco screamed silently. _HELP!_

It was all in vain, because for all he knew, she didn't even look at him again. There was a deep pop, as Harry and Ginny Disapparated together. All of a sudden his chest began to ache, and he felt truly frightened. Whatever Ron did to him now didn't matter, not really, because if he lost Ginny's friendship over this stupid bet or competition or whatever it had turned into, his life wasn't worth living.

All of a sudden Draco was staring straight into Ron's cold blue eyes. He'd never seen such an expression on the redheaded wizard's face before, and it was truly alarming. The desire to shrink away from such a hateful glare was overwhelming, and Draco's heart began to thump heavily against his ribcage as he realized there was no escape. Ron's huge hands came down, like a hawk's talons, and grabbed his arms roughly.

"You and I are going to take a little trip to the Ministry now," Ron growled.

Draco furiously moved his eyes from left to right and back again, pleading with the man he'd known for twelve years to hear him out and believe what he said.

"Don't want to come with me, Malfoy?" Ron mocked. "Too bad. You should have thought about your freedom before you hurt my sister."

In an instant, Draco's body was thrown into a vortex of confusion. He couldn't tell which way was up, nor could he work out how to put a stop to the disorientation. His logical mind told him that Ron was Side-Along Apparating with him, but that did nothing to quell the panic that had gripped him.

A burst of pain greeted him the moment the spinning ceased. He'd come to rest on the floor somewhere, and Weasley had done nothing to cushion his landing. His head was squashed up against the wall and his body was twisted in an unnatural position, even though he was under a body-binding curse.

"I'll be right back," Ron grunted.

Draco sighed mentally. This day was going to go down as the worst day in history; he could feel it in his bones. At this point, all he could do was hope that they'd have the good sense to listen to him before they began the torture. He was honestly beginning to doubt that Ginny would facilitate his release today, perhaps tomorrow or next week when her conscience had time to nag her or Blaise had an opportunity to remind her of the conditions of the contract, but today she was too upset.

_Footsteps_, Draco thought detachedly. _I wonder who it is?_

"Right, Malfoy," Harry said gruffly. "If we release the binding curse, are you going to behave yourself?"

_Yes,_ Draco's mind yelled. _Just let me talk to her._

"I know you can't answer me, but I'll tell you what I'll do to you if you don't behave," Harry offered. "I'll send you straight to Azkaban and forget to process you for a week or so. Don't think that we can't do that either. It happens occasionally, when we're really busy."

_Azkaban_. Draco's heart began to thunder in his chest again. There was no way he could go to Azkaban. If they sent him there he wouldn't be able to talk to Ginny and get this mess sorted out. He wouldn't be able to see her each day either, and that alone would kill him.

"I'm going to release you now," Harry instructed. "Don't make any sudden moves or you'll become a long term guest of the Ministry."

_I won't,_ Draco answered to himself.

The sight of Potter's wand should have sent a wave of relief through him, but Draco found himself fighting back terror. It was ridiculous, and he knew it, but there seemed to be little he could do to control his emotions today. Potter wouldn't do anything untoward; he wouldn't want to lose his position as a top Auror, and besides there were bound to be other Aurors around the department, even if it was Sunday.

A sense of emancipation flowed through his body, starting from his head and reaching his toes in seconds. Draco drew in a deep breath, relishing the feel of his lungs expanding properly, before he tried to move. Every muscle in his body protested when he tried to sit up. All of Potter's warnings about making sudden moves were nonsense, in Draco's opinion, because he couldn't move quickly even if he wanted to right now.

"Stand up," Potter ordered.

Draco groaned and tried to comply, but his legs just wouldn't bend the right way. "I—"

"Come on," Potter snapped. "I haven't got all day!"

"Problem?" Ron queried as he ambled up.

"Seems Malfoy has forgotten how to stand up," Harry sneered.

"We should remind him then," Ron said decisively.

Before he could protest Ron and Harry had each grabbed one of his arms and hauled him to his feet. His body screamed in unison with his vocal cords. There was nothing he could do to stop his reaction or the humiliation as they laughed loudly at his misery.

"Feeling a bit stiff, are we, Malfoy?" Harry asked.

Draco snarled in the back of his throat. It was all he'd allow himself at the moment, because he feared he'd cry out in pain again if he didn't keep his mouth firmly closed.

"We're going to an interview room now," Ron told him in a genial tone, as if he were some sort of hostess. "I don't expect it'll be comfortable for you, but I don't really care."

Under different circumstances, Draco would have hexed the redheaded arsehole, or at least given him a mouth full of abuse in return. As it was, he gritted his teeth and swore silently. He was determined to do nothing that would give them an excuse to throw him in prison until they were ready to deal with him.

The walk to the interview room took them through the department. Draco listened carefully for any sign of life in the large room, but he couldn't detect a thing. He wondered where Ginny was at the moment and how she was doing.

"In here, Malfoy," Harry said. "Stop dragging your feet. You're not going to see her."

"Where is she?" Draco asked in a soft voice before he could stop himself.

"She's where you can't hurt her," Ron snarled.

"I didn't—"

"Save it," Harry growled. "We'll get to what you were doing when we're ready."

Draco was shoved into a small room with three chairs and a wooden table. He was forced into one of the chairs — the only chair in the room with chains clattering excitedly as his backside hit the seat.

Harry leaned over him and got very close to his face. "Do we have to make sure you're going to behave, or can we trust you to sit here like a good little boy?"

"I'll do whatever it is that you want," Draco declared emotionally. "Just tell me if she's all right."

The Aurors looked at each other for a moment. Draco couldn't quite make out what their expressions meant, but he thought there might have been an element of surprise in both their eyes.

"Ginny's fine," Harry said. "She's with Bill and Charlie now."

"What we want to know is how come you have to ask that question?" Ron sat down in a chair on the other side of the table and glared at Draco.

Harry sat in the only vacant chair, next to Ron, and looked across the table curiously. "What happened, Malfoy? The truth, because if you lie to us—"

"I won't lie, and you can check my story with Ginny or Blaise Zabini." He paused, knowing there was one other person who might back him up, but he didn't know whether she would make the situation worse. Still, it was another voice on his side. "Or Luna Lovegood."

Ron snorted and leaned over to Harry. "I love the smell of desperation."

Apart from smirking, Harry ignored his partner's comment. "Start at the beginning and don't leave anything out."

"It all started the other week when we were at the pub…" Draco explained in great detail what led to the contract.

"Hang on a minute," Ron demanded. "What's so bad about having lunch with the family?"

"Any family, but yours would be—" Draco stopped the insult just in time. Though he was now able to explain what had happened, he still didn't trust either of the men in front on him. "It's just something we pick each other about. Ginny does everything she can to get out of having Wednesday night dinner with my family, and I do the same for Sunday lunch."

Harry shook his head and huffed impatiently. "Go on."

"The contract was drawn up by Blaise Zabini…" Draco elucidated every last detail of the contract, as he remembered it. He also told the Aurors that Ginny wasn't interested in reading the contract before she signed it, and he had to read out the important parts, because she was getting impatient.

"Sounds like Ginny," Harry muttered.

"So how many dates did you get out of this?" Ron asked.

"A fair few," Draco answered curtly.

"What about Ginny?" Ron pressed.

"Again, the advertising was successful," Draco replied.

"So what happened this morning?" Harry interrupted.

"I had set up a brunch date for her at the café. Blaise, Luna and myself were sitting at another table in the café, so we could keep an eye on Ginny while she met this stranger." Draco's hands clenched into fists as memories of watching her with Finnigan this morning came back to him.

"Yes?"

"The date turned out to be someone she knew from school," Draco uttered, not really wanting to tell them who it was that Ginny had brunch with today.

"Who?" Ron demanded.

"Finnigan," Draco answered simply.

"I haven't seen him in years!" Ron laughed.

"How did she end up so distraught?" Harry asked.

Draco sighed. "Finnigan and Ginny looked to be having a good time, and I might have glared at him once or twice—"

Harry and Ron exchanged a knowing look.

"She came over to our table to tell me off, and I goaded her into a bit of a state, so when I asked whether she thought she might like to see Finnigan again as a romantic interest she lied to me and said yes."

"And she turned green and silver?" Ron inquired.

"Yes."

The table began to shudder, and then Ron burst into loud, raucous laughter.

"That is bloody brilliant," Ron managed.

Harry cleared his throat, obviously struggling to maintain control. "What happened next?"

"She stormed out of the café, so I followed her to her flat. I wanted to be close, so she'd have the opportunity to turn her skin color back to normal." Draco paused to regard the two men. He had the feeling they believed him, but he wasn't foolish enough to believe he was out of trouble yet. "I knocked on the door, but she wouldn't answer, so I Apparated straight inside. I didn't think it'd be a good idea to disturb the neighbors; they might call they Aurors or something silly—"

"You have that bit right," Harry said dryly. "We received an emergency Floo call from a neighbor who heard yelling, screaming and banging."

Draco nodded sadly. "As I landed inside her flat she threw a vase at my head, and it was quickly followed by something else, so before she could break anything else I contained her. That's probably when the neighbor heard her screaming."

"What happened then?" Ron inquired, having finally found some control.

"I tried to talk to her — to remind her that she needed to tell the truth — but I didn't get far, and then you two turned up."

"Let me get this straight," Ron said slowly. "If she tells you the truth she'll lose the green and silver stripes?"

"Yes, that's the way it works," Draco confirmed.

Ron sighed heavily and dropped his head into his hands. "This is so disappointing."

Draco stared across the table, completely confused. It wasn't a secret that Ron Weasley lacked in the intelligence department, but feeling disappointed that nothing had happened to his sister was being more dim-witted than Draco had ever given him credit for. He focused on Harry. "Can I see her? If she can't remember why she's turned green and silver—"

"I'll have to talk to her first," Harry said. "If she doesn't want to see you, I can't force her."

"But if she doesn't tell me—"

"I understand that, but—" Harry grimaced and shrugged uncomfortably.

"Just tell her I'm—" Draco swallowed and forced himself to say the words. "Tell her I'm sorry."

"He's not your owl," Ron pointed out.

"Ron, he didn't actually do anything, other than try to calm her down," Harry said. "We need to sort this out now."

"Sort it out?" Ron frowned at his friend. "We should just shove him in a room with her and let her have him."

Harry looked as though he was thinking seriously about Ron's suggestion for a few moments. "As tempting as that is, if she kills him here we'll be stuck doing paperwork for the rest of the afternoon."

"We wouldn't have to tell anyone," Ron argued.

"Then we'd have to dispose of his body and, I don't know about you, but I don't feel like digging a grave this afternoon," Harry reminded him.

"I suppose you're right," Ron agreed morosely. "Better go talk to her then."

"I'll go," Harry offered firmly. "You stay here and make sure he doesn't go wandering around."

"When will I be free to go?" Draco asked, surprised that Potter was still insisting upon supervision.

"You're free to go now, but I wouldn't risk running into Bill or Charlie before they understand what's happened," Harry explained.

"Of course," Draco murmured. He'd forgotten the other two men were even in the department.

"I'll talk to her and get back to you," Harry promised.

Draco nodded wearily as Harry walked out of the room, closing the door firmly behind himself.

"You two really made a bet to see if you could find each other dates?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Yes, we did," Draco answered impatiently. He'd just spent the last eon explaining all of that.

"So did she set you up with any _good_ women?"

"Your sister's ability to chose suitable dates for me is somewhat lacking," Draco replied.

"No shags?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"For how long?"

"Since the night before we signed the contract."

Ron counted on his fingers and then grimaced. "Nine days! Ouch! How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine." Draco swallowed the sigh that would have provided evidence to the contrary. He was, in fact, as horny as hell, and if he didn't get a good shag soon he was likely to lose his mind.

"I don't know how you're doing it." Ron shook his head in wonder.

"There are ways," Draco said, trying to sound secretive.

Ron snorted. "Yeah, I'm well acquainted… We've all been through dry patches before."

Draco's forehead creased a little. "What on earth are dry patches?"

"You know, when you haven't got a girlfriend and you can't pick up a shag," Ron clarified.

"Weasley—" Draco leaned forward. "— I haven't had a _girlfriend_ since Hogwarts, and I've always managed to pick up a casual shag without trouble."

"You haven't had any this week."

"That would be because your sister thinks she's going to find me a potential wife, and with all the dates we've been on there hasn't been much opportunity to find a shag where I would usually look."

"You haven't tried to shag one of the dates?"

"No. Ginny made it perfectly clear that I was not to work that sort of charm into any conversation."

"Bugger," Ron expressed.

"Indeed."

All was silent for a short time. Draco's thoughts wandered to his best friend; he wondered if Potter had been able to explain what had happened yet. Time seemed to drag on and on, and Draco began to mull over the notion of looking for Ginny and attempting to explain himself, despite her two oldest brothers being dangerously close by, when he felt Ron's eyes on him again.

"What?" Draco asked.

Ron shook his head, looking uncomfortable. "Nothing."

"Weasley, you obviously have something on your mind, so just spit it out," Draco said impatiently.

"It's just— Well, I was wondering— Ginny nearly takes my head off every time—"

"What?" Draco demanded, tired of the other man's stammering and very tempted to take his head off at this point.

"Are you two— you know— shag buddies?"

Draco opened his mouth and closed it again. His thoughts were racing in different directions. On one hand, he wanted to snap the man's neck for even thinking that he would treat Ginny that way, and on the other… He didn't want to think about the other, because thoughts like that would see him burn in hell for eternity. "No!"

"I just wondered, because you do spend a lot of time together, and we all know she spends the night occasionally," Ron replied casually, as if he hadn't just asked an incredibly personal question.

"In the guest room!" Draco stared at the redhead incredulously. "She sleeps in the _guest room_!"

"Okay, I believe you."

"I'm offended that you'd think I'd treat her that way," Draco uttered in disgust.

Ron shrugged. "I was just wondering, because you never know."

"How you could even—" Draco gave up trying to express just how uncomfortable thoughts of that nature made him feel.

"It's just that you two are best friends — yes, I've accepted that — and if you can't trust your best friend with your heart, who can you trust?"

Draco thought about Ron's explanation for a second and decided that he might actually be making sense for a change. "You have a valid point, Weasley, but let me assure you we do not have a physical relationship."

Ron nodded absently.

"Look, we're _best_ friends. We tell each other everything, and we're basically there for each other when no one else is," Draco continued for reasons unbeknown to him.

"Everything?"

"Yes, _everything_," Draco confirmed. "There's nothing I don't know about your sister."

"Don't girls need to talk to other girls about certain things?" Ron's face screwed up as a slew of girlie subjects paraded across his mind.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean she can't talk to me as well."

"You mean, she tells you about all that women's business?"

"We've had discussions," Draco acknowledged. He wasn't about to admit just how uncomfortable those conversations were for him, at least not to Ron.

Ron's eyes went wide with shock. "How do you—"

"Manage?"

"Yeah."

"I just listen to her," Draco replied. "It's not like I can offer any advice on those subjects, but I can let her vent. Sometimes that's all she needs to do to figure out the answer or to make herself feel human again."

"I don't think I could—" Ron's words ceased as the door opened. "Ginny!"

Draco stood up and spun around in the same move, sending the chair he'd been sitting on flying across the room and shoving the table into Ron's stomach. She was standing in the doorway, still green and silver, seemingly afraid to come into the room. "Ginny, are you all right?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's all right, love," Draco crooned. "No harm done."

She took a few steps forward, and then hesitated as her eyes landed on her brother.

"I'll give you two some privacy," Ron muttered, inching towards the door. "If that's what you want."

Ginny nodded and touched his arm as he passed.

Draco's eyes never left her. He noticed the warm caress Ron had received as he left and wished it were him she had touched like that, for everything would be all right between them if she were willing to make that sort of gesture.

As soon as Ron cleared the doorway, Ginny closed the door. Her movements were slow and almost timid. Draco ached to reach out to her and let her know that everything was truly all right between them, if that's what she wanted, and if it wasn't that he was prepared to fight for it to be.

"Are you really—"

"Harry explained everything," Ginny whispered. "I was so angry with you that I'd forgotten about the contract."

"I thought so," Draco replied gently.

Ginny slumped into a chair and dropped her head into her hands. "I'm so ashamed."

Draco moved to kneel beside her. "You've nothing—"

"I have." She raised her head and stared into his gray eyes. "When everyone started laughing I thought you'd set it all up — the date with Seamus — to humiliate me."

"Why would you think that?"

"I don't know. There's no reason—you've never given me any reason—"

"Shh, don't get upset again, Ginny," Draco crooned as her voice cracked.

"And all along it was my fault for not being truthful," Ginny wailed softly. "I can't believe I let them put you through—"

"Those two are nothing. A couple of want-to-be tough guys, but they don't really have it in them," Draco assured her, ignoring the pain in his side and back. "Now, how about you tell me something, so we can find your freckles again?"

"I—I—"

"Come on, Weasley, spit it out," Draco encouraged, keeping the mood light. "Looking at you like this is really disturbing."

Ginny took a deep breath and met Draco's eyes with determination. "I would never consider a romantic relationship with Seamus Finnigan."

"Feel better now?"

"Am I still green?"

"It's fading."

"Good."

Silence fell between them. Draco wondered if there was anything else he could do to repair the damage that had been done today. Regrets ran through his head, leaving him feeling bereft of any confidence. His eyes dropped to the floor, unable to meet her gaze, lest she see the festering guilt that was eating him alive. Until now, he'd thought only his mother was capable of making him feel these emotions, but it was clear his best friend had crawled into his heart and staked her claim.

A small movement made Draco glance up. As he met her tear-filled eyes a stab of guilt pierced his chest, taking his breath away. Her normal skin color had returned, but the pain in her face was a horrid reminder of everything that had gone wrong today.

"I'm so sorry," Ginny whispered ashamedly.

"Ginny, it was my—"

"No, don't say it." Ginny shook her head and placed a finger across his lips. "I'm quite happy wallowing in self-pity."

"But—"

"If I'd just remembered about the contract, I wouldn't have lied to you and none of this would have happened. You tried to tell me, and I wouldn't listen."

"It's not like you listen to me any other time," Draco commented, attempting to lighten the mood, but his tone failed miserably to convey any humor.

"That's beside the point," Ginny argued. "This was important and—"

"It wasn't that important," Draco corrected.

"Draco, you were arrested and hauled into the Ministry like a common criminal."

The pain in her voice was all too evident. Draco realized that while he'd been feeling guilty and remorseful, she'd been suffering the same, only tenfold. His heart ached for the pain he'd caused her.

"Lucky it's Sunday." He smirked, hoping to get a smile from her. "Less witnesses."

"It's just—" Ginny grunted in frustration. "I can't believe how stupid I acted."

"I can," Draco answered flippantly.

Ginny gasped and slapped his arm in fun. "I really am sorry."

"Stop saying that," Draco instructed. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have tormented you quite so much."

"You were just having fun," Ginny told him sincerely. "That's what we do, right?"

"Yes, that's what we do."

"And that's not going to change?"

"I can't see why it would," Draco answered.

"I'm glad." Ginny threw her arms around his neck and held him close. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

"No more apologies, Weasley," Draco commanded, holding her to his chest firmly. "You're starting to make me feel nauseas."

"I'm sorry," Ginny whispered.

"That's it," Draco declared as he gently removed her arms from his neck. "I'm going to have to punish you now."

Her wide brown eyes rose to meet his. There was almost an element of fear in them, but there was clearly a great deal of trust.

"No chocolate for a week," Draco declared firmly.

Ginny's face fell. "No chocolate?"

"You heard me."

"That's a death sentence," Ginny argued.

"It's not open for negotiation, Weasley," Draco drawled, fighting the smirk that was tugging at the corner of his mouth. "And if you keep going, I'll be forced to make it two weeks."

"Two?" Ginny breathed more than articulated.

"Painful thought, isn't it?" Draco chuckled at her expression. "So, are you going to behave now?"

"I'll behave," Ginny said earnestly.

"Good girl," Draco whispered, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on her forehead. "Are we all right now?"

"Of course we are," Ginny answered quietly. "If you can forgive me."

"You're forgiven, for the last time," Draco expressed quickly. The last thing he wanted was for her to launch into another round of apologies.

"We should probably let everyone know that we haven't killed each other," Ginny said diffidently.

"Potter will be pleased," Draco commented.

"Oh?"

"Apparently, he has better things to do than dig a grave this afternoon."

Ginny gave Draco a quizzical look.

"Lazy bastard didn't want to do the paperwork if you killed me," Draco explained.

She laughed, and Draco's heart soared.

"Okay, let's go and tell them to put away their shovels then," Ginny suggested.

Draco stood up and offered his hand to Ginny. When she was on her feet his hands drifted up to cradle her face. He leaned in and placed a firm kiss on her forehead before pulling her into his chest and wrapping his arms around her. "Never again," he whispered.

"Never," she returned faintly.

He held her for a few seconds longer, and then grabbed her hand as he released her. The physical connection was something that he unconsciously needed at the moment, so he simply did what came naturally. Draco opened the door and waited for Ginny to walk through first. Ron, Harry, Bill and Charlie were looking at them expectantly.

"She told the truth!" Ron hooted.

"We expected she would," Bill said dryly. "Are you all right, Ginny?"

"Yes, I'm fine now." Ginny smiled at her brothers. "Thanks for coming—"

"Anytime, Ginny," Charlie assured her with a smile. "I am a little disappointed though."

Everyone in the room turned to look at Charlie with questions in their eyes.

Charlie waved an arm in Draco's direction. "He's still very much alive, isn't he?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "What did you expect?"

"I was hoping you might put us all out of our misery and do away with him," Charlie said. "I would have helped you dispose of the body."

"You're such a comedian," Ginny replied sardonically. She turned to Ron and Harry. "I'm sorry for all the fuss."

"No problem." Harry winked at her. "I'm just happy it all worked out."

"I needed a bit of comic relief today, so it's all good," Ron assured her.

"Comic relief?" Draco questioned.

"Come on, Malfoy, it's pretty funny when you look at it," Ron said. "At least, it is from our point of view."

"I hardly think—"

"A Slytherin colored woman, a ferret in a body-bind, and the story behind it all." Ron laughed loudly. "Like I said, I needed a laugh today."

"It's not funny," Ginny disagreed.

"Let's review, shall we?" Ron asked. "This morning you had a blind date with Seamus Finnigan, lied to Malfoy about wanting to see Seamus again, turned green and silver, had an almighty row that caused your neighbors to summon us, got your best friend arrested, and then you were forced to tell the truth about everything, so you wouldn't stay green. I don't know about you, but I call that funny."

The other men in the room, except for Draco, began to snigger. Whether it was at Ron's explanation or the actual events that had preceded his explanation, Ginny wasn't sure. All she knew was she didn't find it funny.

"Come on, when it's put like that, without all the drama in between, it's bloody hilarious," Bill said through his hilarity.

"Wait until the twins hear about this." Charlie snorted with laughter.

"You wouldn't!" Ginny challenged.

"They're going to give it to both of you," Harry teased.

Ron approached Ginny and Draco, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "It is funny."

Draco leaned over to Ginny. "This must be one of those times that I'll find funny in about fifty years?"

"I'm aiming for a century," Ginny replied under her breath.

For the next few minutes, Ginny's foot tapped impatiently against the floor, as she waited until the men brought themselves under control. Her temper was beginning to flare and it was only the fact that Draco had hold of her wand hand that she hadn't threaten each of them with their lives.

"Now that everything is good again, are we going home for lunch?" Bill inquired.

Ron, Harry and Charlie all answered in the affirmative and started to move.

"Actually, can you tell Mum that I'm not up for lunch today?" Ginny asked hesitantly.

"Malfoy can come," Charlie said. "We won't torture him — too much."

"No, it's not that. After this morning, I think I just need a quiet afternoon, and I won't get that with all the kids," Ginny explained. _Or you lot_, she added mentally.

"Fine, but don't blame me if Mum flays you," Bill answered matter-of-factly.

"I can handle her," Ginny assured him.

"It's your funeral," Charlie announced. "Let's go. I'm starving."

The journey to the Atrium was made with very little conversation. Ginny noticed that Bill and Charlie kept shooting dangerous looks at Draco and curious ones at her. She didn't want to get into their reasons for doing this, so she did her level best to ignore it, though their expressions left little doubt that they weren't entirely happy with Draco. There was little doubt in her mind that they'd have been happier if she vowed to hate him for the rest of her life, but that wasn't likely to happen any time soon. When they reached the hearths the four men bid them goodbye and headed to the Burrow. It was only once they were totally alone that Ginny relaxed.

"Your place or mine?" Draco questioned.

"Yours." Ginny smiled. "My mother will most likely be Flooing my place in about five minutes."

"After you," Draco said politely as he chuckled.

Ginny stepped into the hearth with a handful of Floo Powder that was slowly trickling from between her fingers. A nice relaxing afternoon on the couch with her best friend was exactly what she needed after such a traumatic morning.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	8. Second Sighting

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little._

_**Author's Notes**__: Written for scarlettrayne2 for t__he Fall 2008 __dgficexchange. Huge thank you to my beta, rainpuddle13 for her patience, commentary and skill._

**TRUTH WILL OUT**

**SECOND SIGHTING**

Ginny Apparated directly into Draco's flat. She knew it was rude, and her mother would have her guts for potion ingredients if she ever found out, but it was better than standing out in the cold banging on the door forever.

"Draco," she called. "Draco, it's just me."

There was no answering yell nor could she hear any movement in the flat. She moved to the staircase and listened intently, but still couldn't hear a thing. It was possible that he was still asleep, so she mounted the stairs. As soon as her feet hit the landing she noticed his bedroom door was closed, which went nicely with her theory that he was still asleep. Ginny approached quietly, tapping lightly on the door before opening it.

The bed was empty, but it looked to have been only recently vacated. From her position she could clearly hear the spray of the shower and now understood why Draco hadn't responded. So that she didn't startle him when he got out, she walked over to the slightly open bathroom door and tapped on it firmly.

"Draco, it's just me. I'll wait for you downstairs; I'm just letting you know I'm here. Do you want tea or coffee this morning?"

Ginny frowned as the seconds ticked past and there was no response from her friend.

"Draco? Are you in there?"

Again she waited for a while, but there was no response.

Panic started to rise through her system as all sorts of terrible scenarios presented themselves to her. What if he'd slipped in the shower and cracked his head on the tiles? He could be unconscious and drowning at the same time under the spray of the shower. It was enough to get her feet moving, and the door bouncing off the wall as she burst into the steamy bathroom.

"Draco! Draco! Where are you?" Ginny felt around the room when seeing became impossible. "Fuck! It's like pea soup in here!"

She felt her way into the shower stall, sticking her arm under the hot spray on the way to the faucet. By the time she turned the water off Ginny was completely wet from head to toe on one side. It didn't help with clearing the steam out either, but she could see a little better now that it wasn't being added to by running water.

"Draco! For fuck's sake, answer me!" Panic was really starting to taint her tone and actions now. "The bath! Oh God, please no…"

Without regard for her personal safety, Ginny went to charge across the small room, but stepped straight into a puddle she'd created from the water dripping off her clothes and hair. Her terrified scream was cut short when she landed flat on her back on the hard tiles.

"Weasley?"

"Draco?" Ginny whimpered.

"Are you all right? Don't move! Umm—" Draco's mind went blank as tried to remember what to do in such circumstances.

"I was looking…" She allowed her voice to trail off when she felt his big, safe hands on her.

"Are you injured?" Draco inquired, concern overwhelming him.

"I don't know." Ginny opened her eyes and turned towards Draco. A small scream erupted from her before she could stop it.

"What's wrong? Where does it hurt? I'll get a Healer for you," Draco gushed in a panic.

Ginny's hand came up to cover her eyes and she tried to move away from him, which was harder than it should have been thanks to the wet floor. "You're naked!"

"I was about to shower," Draco claimed defensively. "Let me help you up."

"No, it's all right. I'll manage." She scooted away from him on her backside. "Just cover up or something."

Draco growled in frustration and strode over to her with sure feet. He didn't hesitate as he lifted her to her feet and began walking her towards the safety of the door. "Now, it would be polite to say thank you."

Ginny looked at him, intending to keep her eyes above his shoulders, but she opened them far too early and ended up snapping her neck into the correct position. "Thank you."

"My bathrobe is in the dressing room," Draco instructed. "I suggest you get out of those wet clothes before you catch a chill. I'll just have a quick shower and meet you downstairs."

She stood there looking at the bathroom door for a few moments after he closed it behind himself, before slowly walking in the direction of his dressing room and the dry bathrobe. Once she started undressing she realized that he could walk into the room at any given moment, so she hurriedly discarded her wet clothing, slipped into his warm bathrobe and returned to the lower floor of the flat.

The memory of what had just happened kept trying to force its way to the forefront of her thoughts and she kept pushing it back. Ginny feared if she thought about it too deeply, or at all, she might just lose her mind or worse, her self control. That was what she feared most. Her friendship with Draco was something she valued above all else. It wasn't every day a person came across someone they could say anything to and not fear judgment or ridicule — Draco was that person for her and, she hoped, she was that person for him. They certainly gave each other hell on a daily basis, but that was just the surface, the public image. Deep down they really cared for each other.

She leaned against the kitchen bench, nursing a mug of hot coffee and trying to sort her thoughts into some form of sanity. If she could disregard what had just happened and not mention it, perhaps he could as well. There was little doubt in her mind, that there were simply some things that were better left unsaid.

"Right, Weasley, perhaps you'd like to tell me exactly what you were doing in my bathroom this morning?" Draco asked as he strode into the kitchen looking impeccable in his business robes.

Ginny's head snapped up at the first sound of his voice. She'd been so lost in thought that she hadn't heard him approaching. "I—umm—"

"When you've finished stammering…"

"I called out, and when you didn't answer I thought you'd fallen over and bumped your head."

"So you barged into the bathroom and fell over yourself?"

"The steam made it hard to see," Ginny continued with a sigh. "I turned the water off, but it didn't make much difference, and then the floor got wet…"

Draco nodded slowly and thoughtfully. "It didn't occur to you that I wasn't in there in the first place?"

Ginny shook her head, afraid to speak now that tears were welling in her eyes.

"Hey, come on, no water works," Draco crooned. "It's all right. I'm all right and you're okay. No harm done, if you don't count the strain you put your poor vocal cords under when you screamed."

"I—didn't—I thou—" Ginny had to give up as her emotions got the better of her and tears began to spill down her cheeks.

As his arms went around her, she collapsed into his chest and began to sob in earnest. All Draco could do was rub her back and make soft, reassuring sounds — it was something she had taught him years ago — until she had spent herself.

"So—sorry." Ginny hiccupped and sniffed loudly. "I hate crying."

"You've had quite a morning," Draco declared. "Now, do you hurt anywhere?"

"All over," Ginny admitted wretchedly.

"I'll run you a bath," Draco offered.

"No, I don't have time." Ginny shook her head sadly. A bath sounded like a wonderful idea, but she had to get to work. "I have to get to work."

"You're not going to be much good to them if you suddenly find you can't move," Draco said seriously. "I'm going to Floo the hospital and let them know you won't be in, then I'm going to run you a bath."

"But—"

"Shh," Draco ordered. "No buts! You're having a personal day."

"Like you'd let your staff—" Ginny started under her breath, but stopped when his gaze sharpened.

"I heard that, Weasley," Draco warned with a smirk. "I'll just go and make that Floo call."

Ginny rolled her eyes, but made no move to oppose him. A long soak in a bath sounded like just the thing she needed. The last two days at work had been dreadful thanks to the horror weekend she'd endured, so a day off was something heavenly that she simply wasn't strong enough to resist. She sipped her coffee and pushed all thoughts of work out of her head; they'd manage for one day without her.

"Right, that's done," Draco said.

"Any problem?"

"Not when I told them you'd taken a fall in the bathroom."

"Oh you didn't?"

"Of course I did."

Ginny groaned. Her colleagues weren't going to let her forget this. They already gave her grief for having a bloke as a best friend, so having him Floo them after she'd fallen in the bathroom was just going to add fuel to their fire of torment.

"Umm— What are you doing here anyway?" Draco asked. "I presume your visit had a purpose."

"I wanted to make sure you hadn't forgotten about drinks after work," Ginny said.

"Tonight?"

"Draco, I wrote the date in your diary myself."

"Right— no problem, I'll be there." Draco frowned. He'd have to do some shuffling this afternoon if he was going to make that date. "Was that all?"

"I feel like you're trying to push me out or something," Ginny complained.

"Not at all, but I do have to go to work today, so once I run your bath I won't see you until tonight. I just wanted to know if there was anything dramatic you needed to tell me before work."

"Everything else can wait," Ginny said.

"What about Friday?" Draco asked.

"I'll meet you there." Ginny smiled, glad they'd confirmed that date, even though she wasn't looking forward meeting to whoever he'd set her up with this time after Sunday's debacle.

"Good," Draco responded absently. "I'll see to your bath."

"I can—"

"Stay there and relax."

Ginny sighed into her mug as he disappeared again. There was something about having a bath run for her that made her feel decidedly like a princess. She could handle being treated like this every day, but finding a man like her best friend was probably going to prove impossible, and she knew he wasn't looking for anyone like himself for her, because he knew all too well what a womanizer he was.

"Your bath is ready," Draco announced as he reentered the kitchen. "I have to get to the office, but you know where everything is, so help yourself. The house elves arrive around nine o'clock, so don't be startled if you hear them moving about. They're used to finding strange women in my flat, so they won't bother you."

"Do you really have to rush off?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I have a meeting with my father first thing this morning, so I can't be late."

Ginny pouted.

"That is not going to change a thing," Draco stated. "You have a good day, and I'll meet you at the pub after work."

"All right," Ginny agreed sulkily.

Draco chuckled at her antics before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "See you later."

"Bye," Ginny uttered as he Disapparated.

The silence in the flat was suddenly deafening. Not even the tick of a clock could be heard. Even though she was perfectly comfortable in his flat, she shivered a little in the unnatural quiet. With little else to do she finished her coffee and headed upstairs to Draco's bathroom. He'd filled the tub to the rim and added enough bubbles for her to lose herself in for several hours. After testing the water temperature with her toe, she let his robe slip from her shoulders and she climbed into the enormous tub. The moment her body began to relax in the warm water her eyes demanded some rest as well. This was most definitely the life.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	9. Red Roses

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little._

_**Author's Notes**__: Written for scarlettrayne2 for t__he Fall 2008 __dgficexchange. Huge thank you to my beta, rainpuddle13 for her patience, commentary and skill._

**TRUTH WILL OUT**

**RED ROSES**

Ginny rushed into the bar with mere seconds to spare. She knew Draco would be displeased if she was late for her date, and she had to admit the few times she'd been kept waiting were frustrating. A quick scan of the bar located Draco, who she smiled at instantly. If her date were already here, he would know exactly who the man was if he'd exposed himself yet, so she headed straight for him.

The first thing she noticed was the single red rose sitting on the bar and the second was the tumbler of Firewhisky calling her name, in her imagination anyway.

"Afternoon," Ginny said as she reached for the drink.

"Hello there," Draco responded. "Nice day at work?"

"It was all right for a Friday," Ginny replied, after downing the drink. "I did remember to bring a rose."

"That's all right, I brought one with me." Draco picked up the bloom and showed her.

Ginny's forehead creased. "Why? I'm perfectly capable of remembering—"

"I thought we were responsible for making sure we had the right flower ourselves."

"Since when?"

"Since the beginning," Draco retorted, getting annoyed. "When have you ever supplied a flower for me?"

"A flower for you?" Ginny repeated, confusion deeply entrenched in her tone.

"And since when do we use _red_ roses? You do know what a red rose means, don't you?"

"Just shut up for a minute, Malfoy," Ginny demanded distractedly as she tried to put the situation together.

"Shut up?" Draco gaped at her. "Why do _I _have to shut up? Why don't you shut up?"

Ginny took a deep breath to calm her rising temper. There was something not quite right about tonight, and Draco was obviously just as confused as she was, only he hadn't realized it yet, so going off at him wasn't going to solve anything. "Did you set this date up?"

"What sort of a question is that?" Draco asked disdainfully. "You know, very well, that _you_ set this date up."

"Me?" Shock ran through her as the word echoed inside her head.

"And if your candidate doesn't show up soon I'm leaving," Draco continued irritably.

"Draco, I'm not here as your support person," Ginny started.

"What are you talking about, Weasley?" Draco asked. His patience was all but expired, and he was having a difficult time keeping a civil tongue in his head. Ginny appeared to have left her brain under her pillow this morning, and he simply wasn't in the mood to play foolish games.

She slipped her hand into her bag and extracted a delicate red rose.

"I told you I brought my own," Draco snarled.

"So did I," Ginny whispered. "I brought my own, because you sent me an owl telling me I had a date Friday evening."

"No," Draco said slowly. "You sent me an owl, telling me I had a date for tonight."

Ginny shook her head. "I didn't."

Draco huffed impatiently. "What are you talking about, Weasley?"

"Perhaps I can clear that up?" Blaise offered.

"Where did you spring from?" Draco snapped.

"I just got here," Blaise admitted. "I'm a little late. I really wanted to be here before either of you, because… Well, you both look like you're ready to tear the other apart and that's no way to start a date."

"A date?" Ginny questioned.

"I think you ought to explain yourself, Zabini," Draco growled in a menacing tone.

"Shall we get a table?" Blaise asked, trying to delay the inevitable.

Draco shrugged lackadaisically. He was beyond caring what the explanation was at this point and simply wanted to hurt someone, so he could go home. When Blaise and Ginny started to move away from the bar, Draco followed at a distance. He had the distinct feeling he wasn't going to like what Blaise had to tell him and that wasn't helping his mood at all.

There was only one vacant chair by the time Draco got to the small round table. It was between Blaise and Ginny, but the chair had been pushed closer to Ginny. As he sat down, Draco moved the chair to a more central position. He smirked as Blaise shuffled his chair over a little more; Blaise, obviously, was not confident that what he had to say would be accepted well.

Blaise looked from Ginny to Draco and took a deep breath. "I'm responsible for the owls you received on Tuesday night."

Draco and Ginny exchanged a glance, and then turned their inquisitive eyes back to Blaise.

"Go on," Draco encouraged flatly.

"I was talking to your mum at the ball on Saturday night," Blaise began. "She was watching the way you two were dancing together."

"We dance together often," Draco commented.

"I know, but I've never seen you dance like this before." Blaise paused, shaking his head and frowning lightly. "It wasn't really the fact that you were dancing together; it was the way you were staring into each other's eyes."

Draco snorted. He didn't stare into anyone's eyes when he danced.

"Your own mother asked me if you realized you were in love yet, Malfoy," Blaise expressed strongly.

"Love?" Draco almost choked. He chanced a look at Ginny; she was pale and seemed to be struggling as much as he was. "My mother—"

"Has nothing whatsoever to do with setting you up," Blaise finished quickly. "I told her that I didn't see what she saw, even though I did, and I decided to— to see if it was true."

"What do you mean by 'what she saw'? What exactly did she see?" Draco asked.

"She saw two people obviously in love, dancing the night away, as if they were alone instead of in a crowded ballroom."

"Ridiculous," Draco spat.

"I told her that it was all an act, so she wouldn't say anything inappropriate. She accepted that you two did this sort of thing to scare off potential advances from undesirable partners."

"Which is precisely what we do," Draco confirmed.

"I know," Blaise said quietly. "I watched both of you all night. There were no threats lurking nearby, so there was no reason for the act."

"And you'd be able to identify threats to us?" Draco questioned derisively.

"I believe so," Blaise answered haughtily. "Anyway, that's not the point. I know what I saw on Saturday night, and Sunday morning confirmed my suspicions."

Draco's eyes opened wide and then narrowed in a threatening manner. "Sunday?"

"I know she probably doesn't realize, but it's only fair that she knows—"

"I disagree," Draco snarled, afraid of what Blaise might reveal next.

"Too bad," Blaise retorted. "Ginny, when you were laughing and having a good time with Finnigan on Sunday, Draco was going insane with jealousy. He just about self-combusted. It's probably the reason things got so out of hand."

"I was not jealous!" Draco stated angrily. "I merely don't like Finnigan. He has a worse reputation than I do, and he was only after a quick shag, not a lasting relationship."

"You can call it what you want, Malfoy. I call it like I see it, and you were jealous," Blaise countered. "Anyway, after that I got this idea in my head."

"Pray tell," Draco drawled sarcastically.

"You two are running around setting up dates for each other, trying to find the perfect partners, with no success, right?"

"We've caught up with some old friends," Ginny argued.

"Yes, Finnigan was a surprise." Blaise grinned nefariously. "Tell me, Malfoy, how is Millicent?"

A feral snarl escaped Draco's throat. Wednesday evening's date was horrifying to say the least. Draco had turned up at the Leaky Cauldron to find Ginny sitting at a table near the back of the old pub just about wetting her knickers laughing. When he'd asked her what was so humorous, she'd simply pointed to a woman sitting in the middle of the pub with a pink carnation on the table in front of her. The woman was Millicent Bulstrode. Ginny, of course, wouldn't allow him to stand her up, so he had to admit to searching for love via the newspaper — humiliation owned him that night.

"You do know that she's told everyone she's still in contact with that she dated you, don't you?" Blaise asked teasingly.

"Get on with it," Draco growled.

"To cut a long story short: after what I've seen, I think you two ought to give each other a chance," Blaise announced. "You're perfect for each other."

"We are just friends," Draco said slowly, as if he were addressing someone dimwitted.

"That's the beauty of my timing." Blaise smiled at them. "You see, with the contract in place you can't lie to each other."

"We have the option to not go through with the date," Draco reminded him.

"This is true, but you still have to explain why, truthfully," Blaise pointed out.

"Whether we discuss the date or not is entirely up to us," Draco retorted.

Blaise sighed, almost happily. He was very pleased he'd found this accidental error in the contract. "Actually, you have to discuss the date and your feelings about the other person. It's in the contract."

"It is not!"

"Oh, it is," Blaise assured Draco. "I double-checked the wording myself."

"Hang on a minute," Ginny interrupted. "We didn't set up this date, you did, so it doesn't count."

"Again, I hate to disappoint you, but it counts. You've both acknowledged you're on a date with someone, so you must be truthful in your assessment of the other person." Blaise laced his fingers together and placed his hands on the table. "Stop fighting it and get on with it."

"How? It was only supposed to count—"

"The wording," Blaise answered simply.

Draco twitched a little. His eyes were cold and hard as he turned their full force on his dark-haired friend. "I'm going to kill you."

"Not if I get to him first," Ginny snarled.

"And on that note, I'll leave you to it." Blaise stood up hurriedly. "Have a pleasant evening."

Blaise used the crowd in the pub to his advantage, disappearing before either Ginny or Draco could move. Ginny half rose from her chair, but Draco reached over and put a hand on her arm.

"Forget it, he'd be out the door by now," he said gently.

"What are we going to do?"

"From what he said, we don't have much choice," Draco answered.

"You read the contract."

"Yes, I did, but things like that are very difficult to pick up unless you sit down and have an entire team of people dissect the terms of the agreement." Draco sighed. "I'm sorry, I should have read it more thoroughly before we signed it."

"Don't apologize," Ginny uttered. "I didn't even read it."

"Do you want to call it a night or would you like to get some dinner?"

"I am a bit hungry, but can we go somewhere a little quieter?"

"Absolutely." Draco thought for a moment. "How about we get some food and take it back to my place? It's quiet and we won't have to worry about whether Zabini is spying on us."

"Do you think he might?"

"I wouldn't put it past him."

"Your place it is then." Ginny smiled.

"Let's go then."

"Umm— there's just one thing I want to say before we—"

"Yes?"

"Whatever the outcome tonight, I don't want things to change between us. You're my best friend and quite frankly I'd be lost without you."

Draco reached out and stroked her cheek. "Nothing will change, I promise."

Ginny leaned into his touch for a few seconds. "Thank you."

A soft smile spread across Draco's face. "Let's go."

On the way to Draco's they stopped and picked up some dinner. It was only a light meal, but it was all that either of them felt like. When they arrived at the flat, they served the food together, and then sat at the dining room table. Conversation was virtually non-existent as they both mulled over what Blaise had done. There was no doubt that both of them were in a difficult position, and despite the promise they had made to each other in the pub, things were bound to change if one person felt differently about the other.

"Wizard Chess?" Draco posed as Ginny finished eating.

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"Do you want tea or coffee?"

"Are you going to—"

"No, I might have another glass of wine," Draco murmured.

"Pour me one too."

Draco nodded and reached for the bottle of wine. "You'll be staying here?"

"I don't feel too bad at the moment," Ginny replied vaguely.

"After another glass of red you're not going to be capable of Apparating safely," Draco pointed out.

"We'll see," Ginny said cautiously.

"Fuck it! We're letting what Zabini did bother us already, Weasley," Draco growled angrily. "Since when have you had a problem staying here after a few drinks?"

"I don't have a problem with it," Ginny insisted.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her.

"All right, we're both letting this bother us," Ginny admitted. "I'll drink and stay."

"Good." Draco poured another two glasses of wine. "And maybe we can start talking again?"

"Yeah, we shouldn't let this—"

"Definitely not," Draco interrupted. "We've been friends for too long to let anything Zabini does upset us."

Ginny smiled. "Are you ready to get your backside whipped?"

"Dream on, Weasley," Draco drawled. "You've never beaten me."

"Bend over, and I'll fix that," Ginny joked.

Draco bent at the waist and wiggled his backside in the air. "Do your worst, darling."

"Oh forget it!" Ginny exclaimed disgustedly. "You'd enjoy it too much."

"Isn't that the whole point?" Draco asked innocently.

"You know I wasn't put on this earth to pleasure you."

Draco pouted. "You're unkind."

"Poor darling, someone has to torture you."

"For that I'm not going to hold back tonight, so be prepared to lose your knickers!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "As if I'd lose my knickers to you!"

"You've come close before," Draco warned.

"But I've never lost them," Ginny reminded him.

"Only because I felt sorry for you," Draco countered.

"That would mean you were showing compassion and you don't know the meaning of that emotion," Ginny pointed out.

Draco's nose wrinkled. "Compassion? I was simply protecting my eyesight."

They laughed heartily together as they set up the Wizard's chessboard. Their running bet had never been called in, but it was always mentioned in some form before a game. Whether either of them would ever push to win a game without allowing the other person to claim one of their pieces was open for debate, but with Zabini's interference the possibility had taken on a whole new meaning. Of course, one of them had to be willing to push the other into that position first.

"Ready to lose your boxers?" Ginny asked.

"Are you ready to lose your knickers?" Draco countered.

"What will it be?'

"One lap around the flat — visiting every room — arms above your head," Draco said.

"Sounds fair," Ginny commented. "Do you want to cast some heating charms around first?"

"Whatever for?"

"You know what happens when men get cold." Ginny wiggled her pinky finger in the air.

"I assure you, Weasley, I do not have that problem," Draco said confidently, ignoring the fact that he could have reminded her that she knew that particular information already, given the drama earlier in the week.

"Let's get on with this before I get too drunk to remember winning," Ginny declared.

"There'll be something wrong with your memory if you remember winning," Draco countered just before giving his first instruction to the board.

They played for hours, neither willing to give the other an easy win. Draco kept their glasses topped off, and by the end of the evening there were three empty wine bottles beside the table.

"Checkmate, Weasley." Draco smirked as he lifted his glass to his lips.

"Bugger!"

"You didn't honestly think you had a chance, did you?" Draco teased. "Now it's time to pay up."

"Fine," Ginny said flippantly as she struggled to stand up.

Draco chuckled. "I think we'll wait until you can walk a straight line."

"I'm good! I just have to find my feet," Ginny insisted, slurring her words.

"Sure you are, Weasley," Draco answered. "I'm serious. You can do it in the morning."

"But I'll be sober in the morning," Ginny argued.

"So you'll remember it," Draco quipped. "Come on, it's time for bed."

"More wine?" Ginny held her empty glass out to him.

"I'm not opening another bottle now," Draco said. "Besides, if you have any more you're going to be dreadfully hung over tomorrow."

"Right now I don't care," Ginny declared, shaking her glass in his face.

Draco extracted the glass from her hand before it could carve up his nose. He placed it on the table and got to his feet. "Bedtime, Weasley."

"But—"

"No buts," Draco said firmly. "Are you going to walk or do I have to carry you?"

Ginny waved her hand at him. "I can walk."

He watched her struggle to her feet. She couldn't stand straight, and he didn't trust her to walk. When she overbalanced, Draco took full advantage of the situation and slung her over his shoulder effortlessly. "Looks like you're not walking."

"Put me down!" Ginny demanded, slapping his backside.

"I will," Draco promised, grinning at her ineffectual beating.

"Now!"

"Did you say now?" Draco queried as he mounted the stairs.

"Yes, now!"

"It's a bit hard on the stairs," Draco replied sincerely. "I'll put you down when we reach the top."

"Draco!"

"Don't get obstinate on me now, Weasley."

"Put me down," Ginny said slowly.

"I will," Draco reasserted.

"Now!"

"Right now?" Draco questioned.

"Damn it, Malfoy."

"Damn what, Weasley?"

"Put me down," Ginny growled.

"You sound so frightening when you snarl," Draco mocked.

Ginny rewarded his teasing with an extra hard slap on the backside.

"Ouch," Draco grunted playfully. "If you don't be nice I'm not going to carry you upstairs anymore."

"Promise?"

"Absolutely."

"Well, put me down!"

"As you wish," Draco said cheekily.

"Thank you," Ginny snapped.

Draco grinned as he reached around her and opened the door to the guest bedroom. "Did you have fun tonight?"

"Yes, I did." Ginny smiled, her annoyance instantly forgotten. "It was good to just be ourselves for a change."

"It was," Draco concurred.

"Goodnight, Draco," Ginny whispered.

"Goodnight, Ginny," Draco returned awkwardly.

He was suddenly transformed back into the awkward eighteen-year-old who used to tense up every time she insisted on kissing him goodbye. She'd taught him to not be afraid to show his feelings or display affection, and he'd discovered that he was quite good at it with her a long time ago, but now with all the doubts hanging over his head he couldn't make his body move. Before he could convince himself to lean forward she'd turned and entered the guest room. Draco wondered if it was because she could sense his discomfort or if it was simply because she was drunk. He didn't want to think that other reasons might be in play, especially this evening.

When she closed the door Draco leaned his forehead against the cool wood. A deep sadness came over him when he realized that he might have just said goodnight to his best friend for the last time. Tomorrow would change everything, of that he was sure.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	10. The Truth

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little._

_**Author's Notes**__: Written for scarlettrayne2 for t__he Fall 2008 __dgficexchange. Huge thank you to my beta, rainpuddle13 for her patience, commentary and skill._

**TRUTH WILL OUT**

**THE TRUTH**

_Bang…Bang…Bang._

"Oi, Malfoy, wakey, wakey!"

_Bang…Bang…Bang._

"Malfoy! Open the door!"

_Bang…Bang…Bang._

"If you don't stop trying to break down my front door, I'm going to kill you," Draco snarled as he reached the bottom of the staircase.

_Bang…Bang…Bang._

Draco swung his front door open and regarded the man on the other side with contempt. "What do you want?"

"That's a nice way to greet a friend," Blaise commented casually as he stepped around Draco and into the flat.

"Zabini, what do you want?"

"You look like you just got out of bed," Blaise said, noting Draco's appearance.

"I did."

"Did I wake you?" Blaise asked amusedly.

"Yes. Are you happy now?"

"Not quite."

"What can I do to make you happy enough to piss off?" Draco inquired dangerously.

"Where's Weasley?"

"How should I know," Draco lied. "She's probably tucked up in bed at home."

"She's not," Blaise sang.

"Zabini," Draco growled.

"She stayed the night, didn't she?" Blaise asked with a nefarious grin.

Draco opened his mouth to deny Blaise's assumption but snapped it closed when he heard a sound behind him.

"Draco, you should really put a shirt on. You'll catch a chill," Ginny ordered. "Zabini, what are you doing here?"

"Ha! I knew it!" Blaise bounced triumphantly.

"You should put some pants on," Draco told her. "Before Zabini catches the wrong idea."

"You two are shagging!" Blaise announced jubilantly.

"No we're not," Draco and Ginny barked in unison.

"The evidence suggests otherwise," Blaise taunted.

"She stayed in the guest room," Draco intoned clearly. "Just like she always does when she has too much to drink."

"Hang on… She had too much to drink and you didn't—"

"No, because I'm a gentleman," Draco cut in.

"Fine." Blaise sighed. "I believe you… Millions wouldn't, but I do."

"Are you leaving now?" Draco asked rudely.

Blaise grinned devilishly. "No, I'm not finished."

"What else could you possibly want?" Draco ran a hand through his untidy hair.

"How did you two go last night?" Blaise asked.

"We had a nice night," Ginny answered.

"Come on, guys, don't disappoint me," Blaise whined.

"Sorry, Zabini, we're just friends," Draco said cautiously, all too aware that this line of questioning was dangerous.

Blaise's eyes moved between the pair. There had to be a way to get them to admit they felt more for each other than they showed. He smirked when he saw Draco slyly checking his skin color — the man was worried. "So, Malfoy, are you interested in taking your relationship with Weasley further?" Blaise posed directly, confident that he'd get a reaction.

Heat began to build in Draco's body as he considered his options. He'd already used the 'just friends' line without any reaction, so it seemed like the logical way to go again. "Zabini, I told you before, we're just friends," Draco ground out.

"Really?" Blaise smirked. "How about you, Weasley? Interested in taking this any further?"

"Like Draco said, we're friends," Ginny answered curtly. "And we don't appreciate your interference."

"I figured that, but if you two were ever going to be honest with each other you both needed a push in the right direction," Blaise explained casually as he watched Draco and Ginny closely. "Are you both sure you don't want to take this any further? No urge to race her up to your bedroom and shag her senseless, Malfoy? You don't want to run your fingers through his hair and leave a trail of red scratch marks down his chest, Weasley?"

"No! We're just friends!" Draco and Ginny yelled in unison.

"Interesting," Blaise drawled as he made himself comfortable in an armchair.

Ginny gasped suddenly, drawing Draco's attention. She was staring at him with wide brown eyes that clearly showed shock.

"You lied, Weasley," Draco said softly.

"So did you," she whispered in return.

Draco swallowed hard. His head was spinning. She could have lied about being friends — what if she's just been pretending to be friends all this time? "If you'll excuse me."

Even though he took the stairs three at a time it seemed to take forever to reach the landing and the safety of his bedroom. Draco raced into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. He swore under his breath at his reflection. His business mind took over the arduous task of deciding what to do next. It was clear enough that he had two options open to him at this point: he could tell the truth and risk losing his best friend, or he could walk around for the rest of his life impersonating a Gryffindor school tie. Neither option was appealing.

"Come on, Malfoy, get down here," Blaise called. "You look adorable in red and gold skin."

Draco's lip twitched. He was going to murder Zabini for this abomination. If he lost Ginny because of it, he was going to torture him for eternity — death would be the easy option. Even if she was just pretending to be his friend, he wanted her to stay, because imagining life without her was simply unthinkable.

"Malfoy, you'd better get down here before!"

His head snapped up. Zabini sounded worried and desperate. Was there something wrong with Ginny? He didn't give it a second thought as he turned around and all but ran back to the sitting room. Upon arriving, he noticed that Ginny was still standing exactly where she was before with the same mortified expression on her face. Blaise, on the other hand, was sniggering to himself.

"I knew that would work," Blaise announced proudly. "It's time for you two to confess."

"I think it's time for you to leave," Draco growled.

"Me or Weasley?" Blaise asked cheekily.

Draco glared at the dark-haired wizard. "You will never be forgiven for this."

"Don't be silly," Blaise said amusedly. "I'm going to be your best man."

"Leave!"

"Umm— no," Blaise answered.

"Zabini, I'm warning you, if—"

"If you think I'm going to miss this you're out of your mind," Blaise interrupted. "Just tell the woman how you feel."

Draco's lip curled back and the snarl that escaped him was more animal than human.

"Or are you going to walk around letting everyone think you're really a Gryffindor at heart," Blaise taunted.

Before anyone could draw their next breath, Draco launched himself at the man in the chair, tipping him backwards. They tumbled to the floor; Draco sprawled on top of Blaise, negating any avenue of escape. Profanities and threats of violence were flowing from Draco's mouth faster than anyone could process what he was saying.

Blaise burst into laughter.

"What the fuck do you—"

"Sorry, mate, but it's really hard to take you seriously at the moment," Blaise spluttered through his hilarity. "Red and gold… Who knew it'd look good on you?"

"I'm going to kill you like a common—"

"Do your worst!" Blaise chuckled.

"Draco, enough!" Ginny said calmly. "Hurting Blaise isn't going to solve anything."

"You're just jealous, because there'll be nothing left for you to torture," Draco replied.

"There is that, but regardless it doesn't solve anything," Ginny responded.

"She has a point," Blaise added.

"Come on, let's just sort this out," Ginny said, retaining her serene façade. "It's between you and I now."

Draco nodded and began to lift himself off of Blaise. He couldn't resist giving the man one last very hard shove into the floor, but he was disappointed when his efforts were met with a laugh rather than a painful wail.

"How are we going to do this?" Draco asked nervously, glancing at her green and silver face.

"Before we decide how to do this, let's agree that whatever the truth is it doesn't change who we are, and if we don't want it to change _us_ then we simply won't let it." Ginny looked at her best friend optimistically.

Draco smiled. "All right."

"How about if we say whatever it is we have to say at the same time?" Ginny suggested.

He nodded firmly.

"On the count of three," Ginny said. "One… Two… Three…"

Silence consumed the room for several seconds.

"What happened to you two being able to tell each other everything?" Blaise asked amusedly.

"Shut it," Draco snarled.

"For Merlin's sake! Malfoy, you've told her about your various shags in great detail before." Blaise turned his eyes to Ginny. "And, Weasley, I've heard you describe another man's dick to him in the past."

"You don't—"

"Yeah, I do get it, Weasley," Blaise interrupted, anticipating what she was going to say. "This could make or break your friendship. The thing is, I think you're both doing yourselves a great injustice by not being honest with each other."

"Are we going to do this or not?" Draco asked, ignoring Blaise totally.

"I have an idea — something to make it a little easier to admit those feelings," Blaise said. "I'm pretty sure you still have to actually vocalize your thoughts to

each other, but wouldn't it be easier if you knew the other person already knew what was coming?"

"What are you on about, Zabini?" Draco snapped.

"I'm talking about writing down what you need to say and letting the other person read it before you say it," Blaise clarified.

Draco blinked a couple of times. "That might work," he mumbled.

"It might," Ginny agreed.

"Thank Merlin!" Blaise praised. "It's really disconcerting watching you two pussy foot around each other."

Draco went to his briefcase and extracted a piece of parchment, along with two quills. He tore the parchment in two and handed one half to Ginny. "You're not going to be writing a novel are you?"

"No," Ginny answered, accepting the parchment and snatching a quill out of his other hand.

"I—err—something—umm— hard to lean on," Draco stammered, escaping to the dining room.

"I'm beginning to think he's in danger of expiring," Blaise whispered to Ginny.

"That would make two of us." Ginny glared at the man.

"Is telling the truth that hard?" Blaise questioned.

"Sometimes it's better not to," Ginny advised.

Blaise shook his head sadly. "You two have no faith in each other."

"We—" Ginny stopped, feeling tears begin to well in her eyes.

"Just write down what you have to," Blaise said gently. "It'll work out in the end, I promise."

Ginny drew in a deep breath and walked over to the coffee table. Her hand was shaking as she brought the quill to the parchment. Draco complained about her handwriting at the best of times; today he'd be lucky to be able to decipher the words she'd written. When she looked up Draco was watching her expectantly. It took her all of a nanosecond to notice the folded piece of parchment in his hand.

"Are you ready?" Draco asked seriously.

"Yes. Are you?"

He nodded solemnly.

"Here, I'll do the trade," Blaise offered, holding his hand out for Draco's piece of parchment.

Ginny stepped forward and passed her note to Blaise. Her hand was still trembling — something the two men noted openly.

"Remember nothing changes unless you want it to," Blaise said as he passed Draco's note to Ginny.

She nodded. Her throat felt as though it had closed over, and she was staring through a bucket load of tears that were sitting in her eyes just waiting to fall. A deep breath to calm her nerves would have been nice right about now, but she couldn't manage anything more than a couple of shallow gasps.

"You're going to thank me for this one day," Blaise whispered to Draco as he pressed Ginny's parchment into his hand. "She's a brilliant catch, mate."

Draco's cold eyes flicked to Blaise. He doubted very much he'd be thanking him for destroying his friendship with Ginny at any time in the future, but the alternative — walking around looking like Gryffindor scarf — was equally unthinkable. When Blaise moved aside, Ginny was staring at him with fear in her eyes. It made his chest ache to see her so afraid.

"It's up to you two when you read them, but I don't have all day, and I'm sure one of you is going to pass out soon if we don't get on with this," Blaise said, trying to hurry them along.

Ginny fixed her eyes on Draco's. "Nothing changes."

"Nothing," Draco repeated.

As she unfolded the parchment, Ginny unconsciously took a few steps back. It was as if she was seeking privacy. His neat script taunted her through her tears, which had now welled to the point where everything was now a blurred mess.

Draco watched her, not moving to open the note in his hand, until Blaise touched his arm. His stomach clenched uncomfortably, as he unfolded the parchment. A wave of nausea hit him, causing him to swallow hard and gasp for air. If anyone ever asked him what the end of the world felt like he would now be able to describe it in great detail. When he thought he had himself under enough control that he wouldn't vomit everywhere, Draco glanced down at the parchment in his hand. Her handwriting was worse than normal, and Draco unconsciously squinted at the page in an effort to make sense of the scrawl.

His heart faltered for just a beat, and then it resumed its effort to escape from his body via his ribcage. There was no mistaking what she'd written. It was a full confession — the truth. With some trepidation Draco raised his eyes; he needed to see her, to see her face and know through her expression what she was feeling.

She was scrubbing furiously at the tears that had dared to fall from her eyes. He knew she hated to cry — hated to be seen as weak — but there was often little she could do to stop her emotions from taking over and making a fool of her.

"Ginny?"

It was hardly a whisper, but she heard him or felt him — she wasn't sure which — call her name. Although she didn't want to, she dropped her hands from her face and looked at him. Her heart was thumping so hard in her chest that it made drawing breath difficult. His expression told her that he'd most definitely read the words she'd written for him — the words she'd have to say aloud to regain her skin color — but it didn't categorically tell her how he had accepted the news. Despite their promises, she was all too aware that such confessions were bound to change the dynamic of their relationship, most especially if they didn't feel the same or perhaps because they did. She glanced down at her hand and his note to her — his note that she'd been unable to read.

Tears streamed down her face. It should have been a comical scene, with her skin color the way it was, but it was if each of her tears had taken the form of a knife and was stabbing his heart. Draco didn't even think about what he was doing, he simply rushed over to her and gathered her against his chest.

"Shh, don't cry, Ginny," Draco crooned. "There's no reason to cry."

His efforts to calm her were fruitless, as her tears only increased until she was sobbing loudly into his chest.

"Did you manage to read my note?" Draco whispered into her ear.

She shook her head against his chest.

"Do you want to know what it said?" Draco asked, desperate to calm her.

Again, her head moved against his chest, signifying a negative response.

"Why?"

Ginny hiccupped a few times and tried her level best to draw a lungful of clean air. "It's all right, I'll ju—just leave."

"Leave?" The word sounded strangled as it forced its way from Draco's throat. "Why?"

Ginny fought to break free of his arms. "It's for the best," she whispered.

"How?" Draco demanded. "How is leaving me for the best?"

"You don't—"

"Mate, I think you're going to have to tell her," Blaise interrupted. He never thought this would be painful, but he was really beginning to feel for his friends, and he wasn't very comfortable with this piteous emotion.

Draco's heart stopped. He didn't know if he could actually say it aloud.

"You have to do it sooner or later, or are you going to spend the rest of your life looking like—"

"Shut it," Draco snarled. He had to act quickly. She was really leaving. "Ginny, don't go."

"I can't stay… Not now," Ginny uttered sadly.

"But—" Draco choked.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she turned towards the door.

"NO! Don't!" Draco bellowed. "Ginny, I love you."

Ginny stopped and turned around slowly to face him. She wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly. "What?"

All of a sudden his mouth was dry. He swallowed hard. "I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you for years."

She shook her head. "You're just saying that."

"No, I'm not."

"For fuck's sake," Blaise complained. "Take a look at him, Weasley. Does he look all red and gold now? NO! Why you ask? Because he told the fucking truth!"

By the time Blaise had finished his little one-person conversation Ginny was staring at Draco, who was glaring at Blaise.

"Don't speak like that in front of her," Draco said calmly.

"My apologies, Ginny," Blaise said formally. "Now it's your bloody turn to tell the truth."

"I—I love you," she whispered. "I want to—to see where—"

"Thank Merlin." Blaise sighed in relief.

Draco closed the distance between them quickly. His hands cupped her face gently and he dipped his head towards hers. "May I?"

"Please," Ginny whispered.

Draco's nose grazed hers lightly, up and down, nudging a little. His hot breath caressed her cheek, setting the skin on fire. The anticipation of his mouth on hers had her stomach flip-flopping and her lips aching for his touch. She'd never thought of him as being timid around women, but that was exactly the way he started — soft and slow, almost unsure about how to proceed. By the time Draco had committed to the kiss every fiber in her being was tingling. Her hands roamed over his back, mapping his toned body and storing that information for later. Ginny was only vaguely aware of his hands on her face; they were moving in time with his mouth, gently stroking her skin in a way that was feeding the blaze that had ignited in her core.

Blaise waited patiently for them to break apart, but it seemed that they'd forgotten he was in the room. "Okay, guys, I'm going to leave now," he said hesitantly. "You look like you might need some privacy."

They gave no indication that they'd heard him. Blaise sighed and picked up his cloak. As he was straightening up something on the floor caught his eye. He smiled when he saw what it was: Draco's note to Ginny.

_Ginny,_

_I've been in love with you for six years. I know you don't feel the same, but I live in hope that one day I might become a man you can love._

_Draco_

A quick scan of the floor located Ginny's note to Draco. Unable to resist, Blaise picked it up and opened it.

_Draco,_

_I love you. I always have._

Ginny

Blaise glanced over at his friends. They were still oblivious to his presence. He carefully folded the notes and placed them on the coffee table. "I'm going now, Malfoy. Remember to treat her like a lady."

Draco had dreamed of this moment for so long that he was having a hard time believing that what he was feeling was real. Between the tingles running down his spine and the loose Snitches in his stomach, he was sure he was going to sink to the floor in a boneless heap pretty soon. She tasted so sweet, sweeter than his fantasies had ever allowed him to dream. Her hands clutched at his flesh in a way that made him never want to let her go. There was desperation in her touch, but it wasn't needy, and it didn't scare him in any way. It was with great sadness that he began to pull away, not stopping suddenly, because that would have ripped his heart out, but drawing away gradually.

They were only millimeters apart when Draco began to mourn the loss of her touch. His heart was racing and there was definitely desire in his blood. He stepped away from her the moment he identified his physical need. This was Ginny, his best friend, and he didn't know whether either of them was truly ready to become lovers. The quick frown that crossed her brow when he moved back didn't escape his notice.

"I think we need to take this slow," Draco whispered, uncharacteristically insecure with his decision.

Ginny nodded. "Of course."

"Perhaps we should talk," Draco suggested uneasily.

"Maybe… Coffee?" Ginny offered, seizing the first thing that came to mind.

"Coffee would be good," Draco agreed.

"I'll—the kitchen—" Ginny stammered moving towards the kitchen.

Draco stayed where he was for the time being. He released a breath in a noisy rush. His stomach was in turmoil, and his head was spinning. This simply wasn't happening. He'd just kissed his best friend in a way he'd _never_ kissed a woman before. In his most private fantasies, he'd constructed this moment a thousand times, but the experience of it surpassed anything his imagination ever came up with.

_She loves me_, he thought unexpectedly.

His heart soared, and suddenly he wanted to be with her — to be near her. All was quiet as he neared the kitchen. His own insecurities began to play havoc with his head, allowing him to believe that she might have Disapparated the moment he was out of sight. With a trembling hand, Draco pushed the door open. The minute his eyes landed on her his stomach lurched in a pleasant way and a smile broke across his face. Draco's buoyant feeling lasted only seconds, because her face was full of apprehension.

"Ginny, are you okay?" Draco whispered as his heart sank.

"I'm fine," Ginny said unconvincingly. "It's just—I can't believe—"

Draco stiffened unconsciously, bracing himself for the blow. "Say it."

"I just can't believe that this is happening," Ginny uttered softly. "I've watched you with so many women over the years—"

"It won't be like that for us," Draco promised hurriedly.

"I wasn't insinuating—"

"Ginny, are you all right with this, really?" The question slipped out abruptly before he could stop it, because if he were truly honest he didn't know what he'd do if she wasn't all right with whatever it was that they'd started.

"I'm just—I never believed it would come true," Ginny mumbled.

"What?"

A short bark of nervous laughter escaped her. "It's nothing."

"Ginny, please tell me," Draco pleaded as he approached her.

The color rose fast in her face. "No, it's too embarrassing."

"After what we've been through this morning—"

Ginny shook her head furiously. "Not this," she whispered.

"All right, you don't have to tell me that," Draco conceded. "But I would like you to answer my question. Are you all right with this—us?"

"Yes," Ginny uttered in a barely audible tone. "I'm just trying to get my head around it."

Draco smiled softly. "Me too."

"It's a bit strange."

"The stuff dreams are made of," Draco murmured.

"When did you know?"

"Do you remember the day the Prophet published that article about my family after the war had finished?"

Ginny nodded. "The one that explained—"

"Yes, that one," Draco cut her off. He detested thinking about that time in his life. "And I was being abused by total strangers in the street."

"I stuck up for you," Ginny whispered.

"You apologized for everyone's narrow-mindedness and told me that I was very brave to have dealt with all the pressure of being responsible for the well-being of my family."

"I remember."

"That's when I fell in love with you," Draco admitted.

"I still think you're one of the bravest people I know."

"Thank you." Draco smiled softly. "What about you?"

"That day — after I told you that you were brave — you smiled, really smiled, just briefly. In those few precious seconds you dropped your guard, and I saw the man you really are — I looked into your soul and knew I was irrevocably in love."

"All these years and neither of us ever said anything." Draco shook his head for all the time that had been wasted.

"I don't think we were ready, and even now I worry if we are," Ginny said seriously.

"So you think we deliberately chased after casual relationships that had no potential for a future?"

"You know we both did," Ginny replied firmly. "I never hooked up with anyone I could take home to the family, and you— Well, you were lucky to spend six hours with the same woman."

"Unconsciously saving ourselves for each other?"

"Perhaps, but I guess we'll never know."

"Do you doubt we'd have eventually worked it out if Blaise hadn't forced the issue?"

"I really don't know," Ginny admitted. "I know I was afraid I'd lose your friendship if I told you how I really feel, and I just couldn't live with that, so I kept my mouth shut."

"You know, this isn't some casual relationship, Ginny."

"I know."

Draco swallowed hard, hoping that his nerves might be driven away by the movement. "I do intend to marry you one day."

Her eyes opened wide, just briefly. "If that's a proposal you're going to have to do better than that to get me to accept," Ginny teased in a lighter tone.

"Don't worry, when the time is right you won't be able to say no," Draco said with a confident smirk. "I love you so much."

"I love you," she whispered.

Draco allowed his knuckles to graze her cheek before pulling her against his body. One of his hands crept around to the back of her head, tangling in her thick hair and preventing her escape. Their mouths come together hungrily. None of the earlier diffidence was present now. His free hand roamed over her back boldly, while his tongue begged permission to enter her mouth. As her hand slid down to his backside her mouth slipped open.

Her whole body was on fire again. She'd only just put herself out after the first time, and now he'd gone and re-ignited the blaze. The feel of his smooth, toned back beneath her hands was only adding to her desire to rip his pants off and have her wicked way with him. Of course, the fact that she hadn't had sex for about a month wasn't helping much either; if anything, it was making things worse, because Draco wanted to take things slowly. By the time they parted Ginny was breathless.

"So… How about that coffee?" Draco cringed mentally when he heard how uneven his voice was.

"I—err—didn't get—" Ginny stammered. Her brain simply wasn't capable of functioning at the moment, especially as there was only one thing she wanted right now and it wasn't coffee.

"Why don't I—" Draco paused when Ginny started to speak.

_Take me to bed_, Ginny's mind suggested.

"What was that?"

"I didn't say anything," Ginny answered.

Draco frowned in confusion. "I could have sworn I heard something about bed."

Ginny could feel her face burning. _Had she said that aloud?_

"Ginny?"

"Oh God." She dropped her head onto his bare chest. "Just don't listen to a word I say."

"Why?" Draco stroked her back absently, hoping to get her to talk to him or explain herself. _Bed? Could she have said bed?_ "What _did_ you say?"

"Just ignore me," Ginny insisted without raising her head. "My mouth is opening without my brain's permission."

_She said bed! She said take me to bed!_ Draco didn't know whether to be elated or afraid. He wanted nothing more than to take her upstairs and make love to her all day, but at the same time he was afraid — even more afraid than the first time he'd had sex. If they slept together, they could never find their way back to their friendship if things didn't work out — a few kisses, no matter how passionate, could be ignored. Of course, he would never deny her, because her happiness was all that matter now. "I've got a feeling I might like your brain butting out and letting your mouth tell me exactly what you want right now."

"No, you wouldn't," Ginny whispered.

Her breath tickled his chest and he bit back a laugh. "Why don't you let me decide?"

Ginny shook her head. "You said you wanted to take things slow."

"And you don't?"

"I don't know what I want," Ginny admitted in a hushed tone.

Draco stiffened and his hands fell away from her. Fear, as he'd never known it, infiltrated his body. He didn't know what to do at the moment. One minute she wanted him and the next she was saying that she didn't know — confusion would have been blissful in lieu of whatever it was he was experiencing at the moment. "Per—perhaps you could err—clarify—"

Ginny's head snapped up and she saw Draco's look of devastation. "OH—oh! I didn't mean you."

One of his hands came up to rub his forehead wearily. "Ginny, we need to talk this out now or I'm going to go insane, and I've got a fair idea that you'll be diagnosed only seconds after me."

She nodded her agreement.

"You go into the sitting room. I'll make some coffee and join you soon," Draco said in a businesslike tone.

"I can—"

"It's all right, I'll do it," Draco insisted. "Just go and sit down or I'll get distracted."

"Okay." Ginny smiled a little as she left the kitchen.

The moment the kitchen door closed Draco breathed a sigh of relief. They both needed a few minutes to collect themselves before they tackled what all this meant to them as individuals and as a couple — if it was possible for them to be a couple without endangering their mental state.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	11. To Hell With It

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little._

_**Author's Notes**__: Written for scarlettrayne2 for t__he Fall 2008 __dgficexchange. Huge thank you to my beta, rainpuddle13 for her patience, commentary and skill._

**TRUTH WILL OUT**

**TO HELL WITH IT**

He looked to the kettle and realized that she had done nothing about making coffee, despite having enough time to at least put some water on. He'd just begun to berate her in his head when he caught himself and turned the rebuke on himself. For Ginny to not have made some effort she must have been really struggling with the situation. Guilt gnawed at his insides. It was his fault. If he'd just displayed a little willpower then Ginny wouldn't be feeling awkward. Draco continued to kick himself while he prepared a coffee tray. The moment he got in the sitting room he was going to apologize for being an arse and beg her to still be his friend — it was the only thing he could think of to make the situation right again.

When everything was ready Draco double-checked the tray and then checked it again. He needed to get out there, but finding the courage to walk through the door was proving to be more difficult than it should have. After growing angry with himself, Draco snatched the tray off the bench and stalked to the door. It was Ginny out there, and she was hurting — it was his job, as her best friend, to put things to rights and make her feel better. His feet stopped moving instantly and the contents of the tray rattled. _Would the same apply if they were lovers?_

"Draco? Are you all right?" Ginny called.

"Yeah, fine," Draco uttered. "I won't be long."

"Okay."

He closed his eyes and sighed. Courage was not something he possessed a lot of, unless his mother or Ginny were in danger. Somehow Draco had to find the strength to step through the door and carry on a conversation with her with some semblance of normalcy. It wasn't as if he had a choice in the matter either. After all, it was his idea initially. That thought got his feet moving again and before he could entertain any more horrifying notions he rushed through the door.

Startled by the sudden intrusion, Ginny jumped.

"Sorry," Draco murmured, noticing the squeak that escaped her.

"It's fine," Ginny said, dismissing his apology easily. "I was away with the fairies."

"Here, just the way you like it." Draco offered her a large steaming mug.

"I'm dying for this," Ginny muttered. "I was beginning to think you might have gone to Brazil for the beans."

"No, I—err—took a little trip with the fairies myself," Draco admitted as he sat down on the opposite end of the couch to Ginny.

Ginny smiled and nodded a little. "I guess there's a bit of that going around right now."

"We're stalling," Draco pointed out.

"I'm fine with it, if you are," Ginny replied lightheartedly.

"We need to do this, Ginny," Draco said somberly. "Otherwise, I'm going to lose my mind."

"All right," Ginny agreed quietly.

"We need to decide what we're going to do," Draco started in a businesslike fashion.

"I thought we might be together," Ginny said hesitantly. "We did admit—"

"Admitting how we feel and doing something about it are two very different things," Draco cut in.

"You don't want to—"

"Quite the opposite," Draco said quickly, cutting her off again. "Ginevra Weasley, I want very much to be with you. Like you, I was reluctant to put our friendship in jeopardy for something I didn't fully understand — I really didn't realize I was in love with you until this week, but I've been in love with you all these years. My careless proposal a little while ago wasn't made without conviction. _If_ we decide to pursue a relationship, I fully intend on proposing properly one day."

"You do?"

"Ginny, you of all people should know that I don't love easily. Besides my mother, you are the only other woman I have ever allowed to get close to me."

"This love thing isn't just a— it's not just because we're friends, is it?" Ginny couldn't stop the pained expression on her face from showing. "You haven't confused our friendship for romantic love?"

Draco slid forward on the couch until he was mere inches away from her. "I assure you, I have not confused my feelings for you in any way. Don't forget, I was telling the truth when I said I'm in love you."

"I just needed to make sure."

"What about you?" Draco asked. "How do you feel?"

"I'm in love you," Ginny said simply.

"What do you want—"

"I want you," Ginny blurted. "I want to see if we can do this, but I'm afraid of losing you if it doesn't work out."

"If that's the case, we need to decide if it's worth the risk," Draco decided. "I think we both know that if we did enter into a relationship, and it didn't work out, it would be very messy."

"We know each other too well," Ginny whispered.

"Precisely," Draco concurred.

"I don't think I could live with myself if I didn't give us a go," Ginny said decisively. "I'd always wonder what I missed, or perhaps I'd end up settling for someone I don't feel as strongly about."

"You're positive?" Draco questioned.

"Yes, I'm positive." Ginny smiled. "I love you, and I want us to be together — to be more than friends."

"Thank Merlin," Draco breathed more than articulated. "I was afraid you were going to— Well, never mind. You want to and that's all that matters."

"You thought that I didn't want to get involved?"

Draco shrugged nonchalantly. If forced to tell the truth, he may have had to admit that the thought of her not wanting him terrified him just a little more than the prospect of entering into a real adult relationship with her. "Now that we've decided that we will be together, we need to decide how we're going to move forward."

"Do we have to?"

"I think it would be good for us to know where the other stands on certain issues."

"Can't we just let everything simply happen when it feels right?"

"We could, but it we want different things at different times, then that might create a problem."

"What exactly do you want to plan?"

"Firstly, there's telling everyone," Draco started.

"I'm not looking forward to that," Ginny groaned.

"It's not exactly going to be the highlight of my future either, but we do need to tell our families."

"Can't we just let them find out on their own?"

"Ginny, that would hardly be fair."

"Fine." Ginny sighed heavily. She could imagine Lucius' reaction now and it wasn't pretty. "When?"

"Your family is having their usual lunch tomorrow, aren't they?"

Ginny stared at him in disbelief. "You want to come to lunch?"

Draco drew in a deep breath. He desperately wanted to say no, but he had to face them at some point and he figured the sooner the better, because they'd be more likely to torture him if they hid their relationship or that was the theory anyway. "I will come to lunch tomorrow, if you're willing to have your family know about _us_."

"All right, but you do realize that there's only so much I can do to protect you from my brothers. They will endeavor to get you alone at some point—"

"Ginny, love, I expect nothing less." Draco's hands grasped hers gently. "I'd be disappointed if they simply let me waltz in and steal their sister's heart, without making some token protest."

"Just as long as you know."

"If I survive lunch with your family, we can have dinner with my parents on Wednesday night."

"Is your father going to be there?"

"I don't know."

"I hope not," Ginny muttered under her breath.

Draco chuckled. "I'm sure you'll manage, even if he is there."

"If I giggle at the table it's not my fault," Ginny said.

"Okay. If you start giggling, I will be the first to admonish Father for glaring at you," Draco promised.

"All right," Ginny agreed reluctantly.

"It'll be fine," Draco assured her. "Mother is going to be so excited that Father won't have a chance to be horrid."

Ginny nodded. Her excitement about finally having her feelings known was being overshadowed by thoughts of what everyone else will say about their relationship. Plus, there was the fact that Draco had pulled away from her twice now. It really wasn't a big thing, considering they'd only just worked out how they feel about each other and what they were willing to do about it, but it still irked her a little.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yes, everything is fine," Ginny lied.

"I thought you might be happier than you appear."

"I am happy." She cringed at the sound of her own voice — she sounded anything but happy. "I'm just worried."

"There's nothing to worry about," Draco crooned.

"Then why do you keep pulling away from me?" Ginny blurted, before she could engage her brain.

"I haven't," Draco refuted.

"You have, and you keep saying you want to take things slow."

"Ginny, I just don't want to do anything we might regret — something we can't find our way back from," Draco stressed. "Believe me when I say I want you — I want you bad."

"You do?"

"Merlin _yes_! If I've pulled away from you, it's because I can feel myself getting too worked up," Draco told her. "I don't want to mess things up with you."

"I feel the same… I mean getting worked up—" Ginny paused as her thoughts and words began to become confused.

"It's all right, I understand," Draco said sympathetically. "We just need to keep our wits about, so we don't end up—"

"In bed?" Ginny interrupted.

"Well, yes I suppose that's precisely what we need to avoid."

"Why?" Color rose in Ginny's cheeks when she realized that her innocent question had come out of her mouth as more of a demand. "I mean, we will eventually reach the point where a physical relationship will strengthen what we have."

"I'm getting the distinct feeling that you're opposed to taking things slowly," Draco observed.

"I—err—I'm not—umm—"

"Ginevra?"

Ginny sighed. There was no escaping the violent shade of red she'd turned during her stammering, and Draco knew her well enough to dismiss everything but the truth. "It's been a while, and I'm feeling more than a little eager. It's just a physical need."

Draco's hands tightened on hers just before a smirk crept across his face. "Ah… I see."

"It's not funny," Ginny claimed, trying to snatch her hands away. More than anything, she wanted not to see that trademark smirk of his right now.

"No, it's not," Draco said calmly. "It's been a while for me as well."

"Two weeks," Ginny replied pessimistically. "It's been a bit longer for me."

"Well, perhaps we can keep your mind otherwise occupied," Draco suggested.

"How?"

"Maybe a little of this." Draco leaned forward and kissed the corner of her mouth.

"Are you trying to drive me insane?"

"Perhaps." Draco kissed the other corner of her mouth. He knew this wasn't the solution to keeping her mind away from sex, but he really wanted to kiss her again — in fact, he never wanted to stop kissing her.

"You're just going to get me all worked up again," Ginny said, while his lips tasted the edge of her mouth.

"There's nothing to get worked up about; it's just a little harmless kissing," Draco murmured against her cheek.

As he released her hands she reached out and began to explore his chest. The toned muscle felt wonderfully firm under her fingers. She delighted when his nipples turned to small pebbles under her touch.

His hands drifted up to cup her face. "What are you doing?"

"It's just a little harmless exploration," Ginny replied.

"I can tell you now that the reaction is not harmless," Draco hissed as she tweaked one of his nipples. In his mind, he already had her lying naked across his bed.

"No?" Ginny asked innocently.

"No," Draco ground out as her fingers found his other nipple.

"Okay. I won't do that again," Ginny said agreeably. "What about this?" she asked as she leaned down and pressed her lips against his bare chest.

Draco hissed with pleasure. He wanted to tell her to stop — that it wasn't doing anything for his self-control — but he couldn't find the right words. His hands ached to find her head again, to hold her against his chest, so the pleasure would last.

With no answer from Draco, Ginny kept pressing her mouth to his chest. She casually worked her way over to his left nipple, and then let her tongue come out to play.

"Oh, Ginny," Draco moaned thickly.

His fingers tangled in her hair — his body making the decision to not fight the urge to touch her. Gooseflesh rose across his chest, sending tremors down his spine and heat into his groin. Everything about her felt right — her mouth on his skin, her breath caressing his flesh, and her hair in his hands. He wanted her more than he'd ever wanted another woman — wanted to show her how he loved her, to hear her scream his name in ecstasy… The heat he'd been feeling was unexpectedly replaced with a rush of icy cold alarm. "Ginny! Stop! We can't do this!"

All of a sudden his hands were pushing on her shoulders firmly and his voice had lost the aroused tenor it held just minutes ago. Ginny looked up at him in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"We can't rush into this," Draco responded, inching away from her.

Ginny released a frustrated growl. "We're not. We've known each other for years, and we've been in love—"

"I just don't want to push you into anything you might regret," Draco interrupted urgently. He desperately needed her to say no and mean it, otherwise his brain was going to stop functioning and he was going to take her right where they were.

"Isn't it up to me to decide what I might regret?"

"Yes, it is, and you need to see that we need—"

"We need to stop messing about and get on with it before I explode," Ginny finished in a sultry whisper.

"I—ah—" Draco stared up into her eyes. She'd moved when he wasn't paying attention and was now almost hovering over him. "Ginny, you don't—"

"Oh, but I do," Ginny purred. Her fingernail traced a line from the top of his chest to his blond treasure trail. "You see, this is for me more than you."

Draco snatched her hand away from his trousers. "Ginny."

"Yes," she whispered.

He took a deep breath and sighed heavily. It was so hard to concentrate when her breasts were heaving and calling attention to themselves. "We shouldn't."

"Since when have either of us done what we should?" Ginny posed with a seductive smile.

Draco dropped his head and groaned. "Men really don't stand a chance with you."

"Draco?" Ginny touched his chin lightly, drawing his head up. "I need you."

"You're trying to kill me," Draco moaned.

"Is it working?" Ginny inquired devilishly.

"I'll let you know," Draco uttered as he reached up to claim her mouth feverishly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	12. Facing the Family

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little._

_**Author's Notes**__: Written for scarlettrayne2 for t__he Fall 2008 __dgficexchange. Huge thank you to my beta, rainpuddle13 for her patience, commentary and skill._

**TRUTH WILL OUT**

**FACING THE FAMILY**

Draco glanced around the packed sitting room. It was quite literally standing room only, and only half the family was in there. Ginny had disappeared the moment they'd arrived, leaving him to his own devices. He politely fought his way through the crowd to the kitchen. The women were all busy preparing a mountain of food for the family, so he slipped out the back door unnoticed.

"You're here, Malfoy!" Ron said.

"I am," Draco answered tightly.

"Does that mean Ginny won your little bet?"

"I suppose it could be viewed that way."

"You mean she actually found you a girlfriend."

Draco smiled evasively. Despite the fact that it had been his idea to tell everyone, he didn't particularly relish the thought of Ginny's brothers finding out about their change of status, however the chance to see Ron's face was simply too great to resist.

"You could have brought her to lunch," Ron said earnestly. "We would have loved to have met her."

"I did," Draco answered succinctly.

"But you came with Ginny." Ron frowned.

Draco smirked. He could almost see Ron's thoughts trying to make sense of what he'd been told as opposed to what he'd seen. "I told you, I brought my girlfriend with me… or did she bring me?"

Ron shook his head. "No… No, this is not happening."

"Oh, it's happening," Draco confirmed.

"How? You two were supposed to be finding each other a partner."

"You can blame Zabini," Draco replied casually. "He thought it would be fun to set your sister and I up."

"But you didn't have to—"

"Ah, but we had to tell the truth," Draco cut in.

"Did she—"

"We both felt the same."

"Bloody hell," Ron hissed.

"Problem?" Harry asked.

"You could say that," Ron muttered.

"It all depends on how you look at it," Draco commented.

"You're the only one who wouldn't see it as a problem," Ron retorted.

Harry frowned as he looked between the two men. "What are you two on about?"

"Do you want to tell him the _good_ news or shall I?" Draco asked.

"Go ahead," Ron replied flatly.

"The bet between Ginny and I is over."

"You lost, Malfoy!" Harry laughed. "You wouldn't be here if you'd won."

"Actually, I feel like a winner," Draco said with a large grin.

"Well, I guess, if you've got a good woman now, you would feel like a winner," Harry rationalized. "So, is the lucky lady here?"

"Absolutely," Draco answered.

"Where is she? You didn't leave her in there with the family, did you?" Harry looked towards the house.

"She fits right in," Draco assured him.

"Hang on… Someone you're allegedly seeing fits right in _here_?" Harry challenged.

Draco nodded. "Blends right in."

"You're hedging," Ron accused. "Just tell him."

Harry looked between the two men again. "What?"

"Well…" Draco started.

"Ginny! It's bloody _Ginny_ he's seeing," Ron expressed dramatically. "_My_ sister!"

A smile slipped across Harry's face, and it wasn't long before he was chuckling.

"It's not funny," Ron complained.

"But that is." Harry pointed in the direction of the house.

As Draco turned his blood chilled. He wasn't truly surprised, if he were honest with himself, to see the other five Weasley brothers standing just outside the back door looking at him with a myriad of expressions on their faces — they tended to turn up when he least wanted them to — but he couldn't deny the terror that flooded his system. There was no way of predicting what they might do to him, and the unknown petrified him.

"So, you and Ginny finally saw what was right in front of your noses then?" Bill asked.

Draco opened and closed his mouth. "You expected this?"

"We knew it'd happen one day," Charlie admitted.

"You two have been blind to each other for so long l was beginning to have my doubts," Fred admitted.

"Tell Zabini he's a genius," George said enthusiastically.

"How did you know—" Draco started.

"About Zabini?" Fred asked.

"Yes," Draco answered.

"We're not deaf," Charlie replied.

Draco hoped the horror he was feeling wasn't showing on his face as he ran through the conversation he had with Ron and Harry. "How long have you lot been—"

"Listening?" George interjected.

"Yes, listening," Draco clarified civilly, swallowing the irritation at having his sentences finished for him by the twins each time he opened his mouth.

"The whole time," Bill admitted.

Draco cringed. He couldn't help it, because he couldn't quite remember how far he'd gone to taunt Ron now that the pressure was on. "I didn't say anything that would—"

"Encourage us to kill you outright?" Fred interrupted.

George sighed heavily. "I told you before, we're not doing that. We need to torture him for a millennium first."

_Torture?_ Draco gulped. If the twins were talking about torture, then he was in real trouble. They were best known for their creativity. "Where's Ginny?"

"Come on, Malfoy," Charlie crooned with a malevolent smile. "You don't need your _girlfriend_ here."

"She'd only get upset and you _wouldn't_ want that, would you?" Bill added, his smile equaling his younger brother's for wickedness.

"I—err—" Draco looked around the yard as the men started to advance and panic began to override his rational thoughts.

"Oi! What's that on your neck, Malfoy?" Charlie inquired, pointing to Draco's marked skin.

Unable to help himself, Draco smirked. He knew it wasn't the most intelligent thing to do under the circumstances, but he simply couldn't stop himself. "Didn't you know … Your sister displays some frightening tendencies towards vampirism."

"Bloody hell! Hey, George, it looks like Ginny's got better suction than you have," Fred declared as he examined Draco's neck earnestly.

George shoved his twin aside and ran his fingers over the bruised flesh on Draco's neck. "Bloody hell! That must have hurt!"

"Didn't feel a thing," Draco confessed.

"You were distracted, weren't you?" Charlie asked dangerously.

"Err— She's gentle—really gentle," Draco stammered.

Bill rolled his eyes. "Sure she is."

"We're not fools, Malfoy," Percy said pompously. "We know exactly what those types of brands lead to."

Charlie spun around and faced Percy. "Tell us, dear brother, what do those brands lead to?"

Percy flushed redder than his hair. "Well—you see—" He pushed his glasses up his nose. "One would usually be—be rather—"

"Horny?" Ron offered with a smirk.

"There are less vulgar ways of—" Percy snapped.

"Yeah, but you were having trouble thinking of one," Ron pointed out.

"Hang on a minute." Bill held his hand up to silence his brothers. "When did you say you two got together?"

"Yesterday," Draco answered. The moment the word left his mouth he realized that he'd most likely just signed his own death certificate. "I—We—"

"Jumped straight into bed?" Charlie offered with a growl.

"NO!" Draco tried to take a step backwards, but found himself standing on Harry's feet. "We didn't. We talked first, and then we—"

"Then you jumped into bed," Fred said helpfully.

Draco's eyes rotated to look at Fred, who was sporting a malicious grin. "No! Well— yes— sort of."

George leaned closer to Draco. "You didn't make it to the bed?"

"Yes!" Draco's heart was beating so hard that he feared it was going to escape his body. He was very right to be afraid of these men; they had a knack of making him admit things that are categorically not good for his health. "I'm just going to shut up now," he said in a small, miserable voice.

"Don't do that," Charlie crooned. "We're having fun."

"Fun?" Draco's eyes just about bulged out of his head. "You call this fun?"

Charlie shrugged. "I do. What about you, Bill?"

"It's fun for me," Bill answered. "How about you, Ron?"

"Having a ball!" Ron declared. "Harry?"

Harry sniggered. "Likewise. Fred?"

"Better than tormenting Percy," Fred said heartily. "George?"

"I couldn't agree more! What about you, Percy?"

"This behavior is a little childish, but—"

"You get the idea, Malfoy," Charlie said, cutting Percy off before he could get into a longwinded rhetoric about adult behavior. "We're just having a little fun."

"Percy doesn't sound like he agrees," Draco blurted in a rush. He was clutching at anything that might give him a reprieve.

"Percy's opinion doesn't matter," Ron informed Draco.

Draco whimpered silently to himself. He kicked himself mentally. Ginny had been perfectly happy to keep their relationship to themselves for a while, and he had to insist that they tell everyone. Why on earth had he done that? At least he'd have enjoyed some time with her before his demise. There was also that promise that he could handle anything her brothers dished out hanging over his head. It wasn't as if he could make a break for the house and let her know what was going on without looking like a pathetic fool — not that he'd make it two feet with the men surrounding him.

"Where were we?" Bill asked, looking at his brothers amusedly.

"You made it to bed, didn't you, Malfoy?" Charlie prompted.

Draco nodded, despite instructing his body not to respond.

"And then what happened?" Fred inquired.

There was a minute drop of relief when Draco realized the question required more than a yes or no answer. At least he couldn't give himself away without opening his mouth. Of course, there was still the fact that they wanted some form of reply. He weighed up the pros and cons of being unashamedly honest with them. They could torture him for longer, but if he dared to go into graphic detail they might just kill him accidentally, and then this torture would be over. If only he could see Ginny one last time before committing himself to death.

"Cat got your tongue, Malfoy," Harry goaded.

Draco lifted his chin haughtily and drew on every last ounce of courage he possessed. "I know you lot don't really want to hear this, because you'll find it disturbing, but you asked for it—"

Sniggers and snorts of laughter erupted from the men as the closed in to hear what Draco had to say.

"We did make it to the bed. Your sister, as I discovered very quickly, is a little vix—"

"Draco Malfoy!"

All the men in the yard flinched as the back door banged hard enough to rattle the windows.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ginny demanded.

The Weasley men and Harry inched away from Draco as Ginny strode over to him.

"Committing suicide," Draco answered in a small voice.

"Suicide?" Ginny eyed him up and down with some amusement in her expression. "You want me to kill you?"

"No, not you," Draco answered hurriedly. "They were torturing me, so I was just going to put an end to it the quickest way I could think of."

"And it didn't occur to you that telling me would have been far quicker?" Ginny asked.

Fred snorted. "As if he'd have gotten that far."

"We'd have—" George snapped his mouth shut as his sister's eyes all but burned a hole in him.

Ginny stared at her brothers with obvious contempt. "Draco and I are together, and yes we do have _sex_ — lots and lots of hot, _perverted_ sex. If any of you have a problem with that, you can go a talk to someone who cares, but leave Draco and I alone, because we don't care. Furthermore, if any of you want more detail than that, I will gladly oblige by tying you to a chair and making you watch Draco and I during the aforementioned hot, _perverted_ sex. Questions?"

Draco didn't breathe, let alone dare move during her little harangue. He'd always thought the twins were the scariest of the Weasleys, but he was suddenly quite sure that Ginny was the scariest of them all, and he was fool enough to get caught divulging her secrets.

The sound of someone clearing their throat nearby, garnered everyone's attention.

"Oh—" Ginny flushed bright red. "Sorry, Dad."

Arthur shook his head with a bemused smile on his face. "Just like her mother," he uttered quietly.

Disgusted moans and complaints arose from the men present. Draco kept his thoughts to himself — still not quite brave enough to draw Ginny's attention by moving or speaking or even breathing yet — but he was definitely cringing on the inside, along with Molly Weasley's sons.

"Boys, I would definitely leave the subject alone or your sister might do to you what her mother did to her brothers," Arthur advised wisely.

"What did Mum do?" Ron asked. "Oww!" He rubbed his arm after Charlie punched him.

"Gideon and Fabian were giving me a hard time, just like you're doing to Draco, so your mother sat them down and gave them a minute by minute account of what we'd been up to in the old barn the night before." Arthur chuckled at the memory.

"They just sat there?" Charlie questioned.

"I believe they were too horrified to move," Arthur answered. "The point is, boys, they're a dangerous breed to tangle with, and you'll come off second best every time, if you dare."

There were a few muttered words of agreement from the boys, as they started to drift away slowly.

Bill made a beeline for Draco. "I'll be blunt. If you hurt her, we'll kill you."

"We'll torture you first, then kill you," Charlie amended from a distance.

"Yeah, torture first," Bill agreed. "That's if there's anything left after you've answered for telling tales outside the bedroom."

Draco closed his eyes and sighed. He had no doubt that Bill had brought that up to deliberately remind Ginny of what was going on when she walked out.

"Good luck, son." Arthur patted Draco's shoulder affectionately. "You're going to need it."

The silence that fell only moments later seemed deafening to Draco. He wished for just a little noise, anything so he knew wasn't alone.

"I don't believe you did that," Ginny snarled.

His eyes opened slowly. Sure enough, he was alone with Ginny. "They were—" He winced as a small, pointy finger poked him in the middle of the chest.

"You don't tell them anything," Ginny growled. "If I wanted them to know what I was like in bed I'd have tortured them with that information already."

"Sorry," Draco whispered ashamedly. "I couldn't think of any other way to make them leave me alone."

"I can think of plenty, so if you're short on ideas just ask," Ginny snapped.

"I'll remember that," Draco replied. "Are we all right?"

"Yes, we're all right." Ginny rested her head on his chest. "I'm just—I'm horrified my dad heard me—"

Draco started to laugh. "If it bothered him, he didn't show it."

"He was just getting rid of the boys."

"I don't know," Draco mused aloud. "I can envision your mother being a little vixen in her day."

Ginny groaned. "Please don't talk about that."

"There you are!" Molly exclaimed.

"Sorry, Mum. The boys were giving Draco a hard time," Ginny explained.

"Those boys." Molly shook her head.

"Dad scared them off," Ginny told her.

"Good." Molly moved towards Draco with her arms outstretched. "I just came out here to tell you how pleased I am for both of you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Draco managed while being thoroughly squeezed by the Weasley matriarch. Visions of what Mr. Weasley had alluded to kept going through his mind — picturing what Ginny was like behind closed doors and putting her mother's face on the hallucination had the potential to kill his passion for a decade.

"It's about time the two of you settled down," Molly said firmly.

"Settled down?" Draco questioned. He had been under the impression that Ginny hadn't told her family that they had already discussed the possibility of marriage.

"Yes! The two of you have been running around with Merlin only knows how many different people," Molly clarified. "I do read the social pages, Draco, and I can't keep up with Ginny's boyfriends."

"I see," Draco uttered as relief bloomed in his body.

"Those waifs you're usually pictured with— Well, they don't look like the types who are interested in family," Molly continued frankly.

"No—No, they're not terribly interested in family," Draco concurred quickly. The last time he'd dared to defend one of his dates to Mrs. Weasley he'd received an hour-long lecture in the benefits of dating virtuous women, while Ginny stood behind her mother sniggering into her hand.

"You don't have to worry about that now." Molly patted his chest affectionately. "I must get back to the kitchen. I hope you're hungry!"

"Starving," Draco mumbled. His eyes followed Molly inside and then he turned to Ginny. "Is she planning our wedding?"

"I hope not," Ginny wailed. "She was so excited when I told her that we were together."

"How impossible is she going to be when we do announce our engagement?"

"You haven't asked me yet," Ginny pointed out.

"I was just weighing up the benefits of eloping," Draco divulged.

"As tempting as it might sound to begin with, we'd have to face both our mothers afterwards," Ginny reminded him. "I don't know about you, but I think they'd both be pretty scary if we had the nerve to do something like not invite them to our wedding."

"You could be right," Draco mused. "Still, it might be worth just putting the idea aside for now, rather than dismissing it totally."

"I just said they'd be scary," Ginny said. "Not that I wasn't willing to do it if things got too out of hand."

"We'll call it our escape clause," Draco suggested cheekily.

"Sounds good," Ginny replied, giggling into his chest. "The boys weren't too bad, were they?"

"I'm a little confused actually," Draco confessed. "At first they acted like they were expecting it, and then they weren't happy about it. I just don't know what to think."

"As far as I can tell, they were expecting it, but they feel obligated to give you a hard time," Ginny explained.

"Would it have been so hard for them to shake my hand and tell me to look after you?"

"That would have been a bit boring," Bill interjected from the doorway. "Mum said lunch is ready."

"Thanks, Bill," Ginny responded. "Come on. It's time to face the whole family."

"Your sisters-in-law aren't going to go nuts are they?"

"Probably," Ginny answered casually. "You don't mind your cheeks being pinched, do you?"

Draco cleared his throat and quirked an eyebrow at her. "You are kidding."

Ginny just grinned and kept walking.

A frown crossed Draco's face briefly. There was something unsettling about Ginny's expression. He shook his head and followed her into the house. The kitchen table was full to bursting with family and food. Seats were few and far between, and it took him a few minutes to locate Ginny in the crowded room. Draco began to move around the table to one of the few vacant seats. It was a tight squeeze at times, and several times he seemed to get a little stuck, but he managed to get across the room.

He eyed the chair that was tucked tightly into the table. There was no room on either side of it, so there was only one way to actually take his seat. Draco pulled the chair all the way out and prepared to pull himself to the table in a half sitting position.

"Oww!" Draco shrieked, jumping to his feet.

"What's wrong?" Ginny demanded.

Draco looked around himself. He could have sworn something just bit his arse.

"Draco?" Ginny called impatiently.

"Nothing, love," he uttered. "It was nothing."

"Aww isn't that sweet," Fred crooned.

"He called her _love_," George added.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Shut it, you two."

With a little apprehension, Draco tried to sit down again, and again an almost painful sensation went through his backside. "What the—"

"Well?" Angelina demanded.

Fleur blushed as she began to giggle. "As tight as we assumed."

"You," Draco blurted. "You pinched my arse!"

"Only because you sat next to me," Fleur explained in an innocent tone.

Draco looked around the table. The men were all sniggering quietly, including Bill, who should have been horrified in Draco's opinion. "What is going on?"

"Draco, sit down," Ginny instructed.

"I don't trust Madam Touchy-Feely here on the right," Draco claimed childishly.

"Fleur, please leave his backside alone," Ginny said amusedly.

"You can trust me, Draco," Fleur insisted. "I have the information we were after now."

"Draco, sit down," Molly instructed firmly. "Everyone, eat up before it gets cold."

Before Draco could draw his chair up to the table everyone else started filling their plates. It was a long way from the civilized meals he was accustomed to with his family; his mother would have a heart attack if she witnessed this fiasco. In time, he managed to get a little food onto his plate. Although, he'd eaten with the family before, Draco had not mastered the art of grabbing a platter as it passed before the person two chairs down claimed it.

How anyone heard anything of the conversations they were conducting was a miracle. The noise in the room had reached a crescendo that Draco found deafening, though it didn't seem to bother anyone else. He sat there quietly eating his food, which didn't take long, and watching the goings on around him. One wouldn't think it was easy to blend into the background with this family, but Draco found he had no problem, as long as he kept his mouth shut. As usual, Ginny was taking her time over her food while chatting away to Charlie. Draco couldn't hear the conversation, but Ginny was laughing occasionally and Charlie appeared to be in good spirits, so he assumed it was about something positive.

As soon as the meal finished, the men and children vanished, leaving the women to clean up. Draco drifted into the sitting room for a little bit. Most of the men had paired off and were continuing discussions from before lunch. Ron had set up his Wizard Chess set and was calling for challengers. He considered playing a game, but there was no challenge in beating Ron, so Draco drifted back to the kitchen doorway.

"He's as hard as a rock," Fleur said as she dried a plate.

"You're so lucky, Ginny," Angelina expressed wistfully.

Ginny smiled and flushed pink.

"There's nothing quite like a man with a firm backside," Molly established with a breathy sigh that would have befitted a much younger woman. "Arthur used to—"

Mrs. Weasley's words faded into the background, as Draco realized what they were talking about. He hyperventilated for a few moments before respiration seemed to stop altogether. Escape was foremost in his mind right now, before he heard something that might leave him permanently scarred. Draco turned, staggering a little as he moved back into the sitting room.

"All right, Malfoy?" Charlie asked.

Bill laughed. "Too much pumpkin juice at lunch?"

Draco raised his hand and pointed an accusatory finger at the oldest Weasley brother. "You—your wife—she's—at lunch—" He growled in frustration. His mouth simply would cooperate at the moment.

"What about Fleur?" Bill questioned with a smirk.

"She—she pinched my arse!" Draco exclaimed.

Charlie sighed and shook his head. "And now the girls are discussing how flabby it felt?"

"My arse is not flabby," Draco snapped.

"What's the problem then?" Ron inquired.

"They're talking— married women— even Mrs. Weasley—" Draco gasped for breath as his lungs emptied.

Arthur chuckled. "Don't worry about it, son. The girls have been wondering what your backside felt like for years."

"Why?" Draco whispered weakly.

"All the rumors," Charlie answered. "Women talk, and they just wanted to confirm the gossip."

Draco frowned deeply. He didn't know whether to be amused or to curl into fetal position and bawl. It wasn't as if he wasn't aware of the rumors that flowed through the pubs he frequented, but to know that everyday ordinary married women talked about him — Ginny's family, to be specific — that disturbed him. "Why now?"

"It's not that hard to figure out, is it?" Bill asked. "You're with Ginny now, so no simple pinch on your backside will be misconstrued as a signal that a woman is interested in you, thus keeping our girls safe from your advances."

"How is that logical?" Draco demanded.

"If Fleur had pinched your arse a month ago, would you have made a big deal of it like you did today or would you have given her one of your famous 'come hither' looks?"

"I don't touch married women," Draco stated categorically.

"Except for that Countess in Bulgaria last year," Charlie reminded him. "What was her name?"

"I was unaware she was married," Draco ground out.

"Of course you were." Charlie grinned in a way that told everyone that he didn't believe Draco.

"I thought we cleared this up last year," Draco snapped.

"He's still jealous that you landed her and not him," Bill explained.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Next time I'll send the married ones your way."

"Not the ugly ones," Charlie warned with a chuckle.

"The married what?" Ginny asked as she walked in.

"Ginny, I was about to come and get you," Bill announced.

"Why?"

"Draco needs to go home for a bit of a lie down," Bill told her.

Ginny looked to her boyfriend, and then back at her brother, raising an eyebrow at him.

"He's a bit shocked that you women were discussing his backside's form," Bill explained.

"I wasn't discussing his form," Ginny retorted.

"They were," Draco alleged.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, they think I'm a lucky girl," Ginny responded with a smile.

Bill snorted with laughter.

"And Fleur said you could do with getting on your broom more often to tighten your arse up again," Ginny added mockingly.

"There's nothing wrong with my backside," Bill claimed in an affronted tone.

"Not if you like saggy," Fred interposed from the other side of the room.

"No one asked you," Bill snapped.

"I like to share," Fred replied smugly.

"No one has yet explained to me why it was all right for Fleur to pinch my backside," Draco said suddenly. "Why aren't you furious?" he asked looking directly at Bill.

"Fleur was nominated to gather the information for the rest of the women," Bill informed him. "She's the oldest and she's French — they're touchy feely people, so she can get away with doing things like that."

"Nominated?" Draco repeated in disbelief.

"The girls have ways of—" Charlie started.

Draco stared incredulously at Bill. There was no way on magical earth that he'd accept Ginny touching another man's derriere, even if it was simply for a fact finding mission. "Just keep her away from my body."

"Don't worry, she's got what they wanted for now," Bill assured him.

"What if they want something else next?" Draco growled.

"Are you suggesting we measure your _wand_ now?" Charlie laughed loudly.

Draco sneered at Charlie's attempt at humor. "Ginny, I think it's time we left."

"Good idea," Ginny agreed. "I wouldn't want to have to hurt one of them. Mum gets really cranky when I do that."

"I'll get our cloaks while you say goodbye," Draco offered. "Gentlemen."

It wasn't until he'd taken several steps inside the kitchen that Draco realized the women were sitting around the table with a large pot of tea, and his bottom would be vulnerable, if he didn't take measures to protect himself. With as much casualness as he could muster, Draco turned his back to the wall and began to inch along towards the cloak rack.

The giggles started slowly as one by one the women became aware of what he was doing. It was humiliating, but it was better than having his bum fondled by women he would eventually consider family. Draco glanced at the back door; it was still quite a distance away — too far to risk running for it, given the number of depraved women in the room.

"What are you doing?"

Draco's head snapped up and towards the sitting room door. "I—they—"

"Come on, I'll protect you," Ginny promised as she approached him.

As he relaxed and moved just a fraction away from the wall Hermione twitched in his direction suddenly. Draco flattened himself against the wall again, much to the amusement of the women.

"All right, that's enough," Ginny commanded. "You lot need to behave yourselves, or I'll never convince him to come to lunch again."

"Girls, Ginny is right," Molly said strongly. "Leave Draco alone now."

His surprise was hard to hide as the women suddenly straightened in their chairs and composed themselves. Confident that he wouldn't come to bodily harm now, Draco strode to the cloak rack and began to sift through the many garments present for his and Ginny's cloaks. He'd just spied his cloak and was reaching for it when an unmanly yelp burst from his throat expectedly. "Oww! Who was that?" he demanded, turning to face the women.

Draco inspected every woman's face. Most were cackling inanely without a hint of guilt, but there was one who had mischief dancing in her eyes.

"What?" Ginny smirked at him unashamedly. "I'm allowed."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. They were starting to rub off on Ginny — teaching her bad habits. "Home," he said simply.

Ginny muffled a giggle. "Okay."

Draco turned back to the rack and snatched up their cloaks. He quickly threw Ginny's around her shoulders and secured the cloak pin. "Have you said goodbye to your mother?"

"Not yet," Ginny answered.

"Perhaps you can do that now?" Draco suggested.

It only took another fifteen minutes to escape the clutches of the Weasley family. By the time Draco Disapparated he was sure he had a couple of cracked ribs compliments of Mrs. Weasley's overenthusiastic farewell. Ginny had also silenced his complaints by reminding him that coming to lunch today had, in fact, been his idea. He was already diligently working on a plausible excuse to get out of Sunday lunch next week.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	13. Dinner at the Manor

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little._

_**Author's Notes**__: Written for scarlettrayne2 for t__he Fall 2008 __dgficexchange. Huge thank you to my beta, rainpuddle13 for her patience, commentary and skill._

**TRUTH WILL OUT**

**DINNER AT THE MANOR**

Draco took Ginny's cloak from her shoulders and tossed it onto the waiting servant. It wasn't until he enclosed her hand in his that he noticed she was trembling.

"Hey, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Ginny fibbed.

"Are you ready then?"

"You did warn them, didn't you?"

"I told Mother I was bringing the woman I intend to marry to dinner."

"You what?" Ginny hissed.

"Calm down, Ginny. Mother was so excited when I told her." Draco's arm's slipped around her shoulders. "She's so happy I'm finally settling down."

"Yes, but—"

"No 'buts'. Are you ready?"

"Not really," Ginny admitted.

Draco smirked. Any other time Ginny would have gone charging into his parents' home without a care in the world, but everything had suddenly changed. "I'll take that as a yes, shall I?"

"Can't we do this some other time?"

"No—" Draco kissed her forehead. "—we can't. Mother is expecting us."

"What about your father?" Ginny whispered.

"I don't know." Draco tried not to twitch as the lie slipped off his tongue. His mother had, of course, informed his father that he was bringing someone very special to dinner this evening, and his father had been hounding him for some clue as to who it might be since Monday. Given that, only death would have kept Lucius away from the dinner table tonight. "Come on. They don't bite."

"Your father does," Ginny countered.

Draco grabbed her hand tightly and began to walk towards the parlor again. "You bite harder, so don't worry about him."

"And you're willing to risk us being in the same room?"

"It'll all be good, Ginny. Well, as long as you don't giggle during dinner and spit food all over him," Draco said with a smirk.

"You promised—"

"The second I see his eyes harden I will pounce on him," Draco promised again. "Shh, stop fussing or Mother will hear you."

Ginny braced herself to enter the parlor. She'd never before had a problem walking in as Draco's best friend — in fact, she'd rather relished the thought that her presence put Lucius Malfoy's nose out of joint — but this was different. Narcissa Malfoy had great hopes for her son to marry acceptably and Ginny had been subjected to her grand plans many times — she was sure she didn't quite fit into the Malfoy matriarch's scheme. Draco squeezed her hand reassuringly just as they stepped over the threshold.

"Mother, you look delightful this evening," Draco intoned as he crossed the floor, dragging Ginny with him.

"Draco darling, you're a little late," Narcissa admonished lightly.

"By mere minutes," Draco countered gently as he kissed his mother's cheek. "Where is Father?"

"He'll join us momentarily," Narcissa informed him. "Ginevra, how lovely to see you again."

"Hello, Mrs. Malfoy," Ginny uttered nervously. She cringed when she heard the sound of her voice. Someone about to face the Dementors would have sounded more confident.

Narcissa glanced behind the couple. "Draco, I thought you informed me that you were bringing someone special to dinner this evening."

"I did," Draco confirmed.

"Well? Where is she?" Narcissa inquired patiently. "You haven't left her standing outside, have you?"

Draco cleared his throat and smirked. "She's right here, Mother."

Ginny felt his hand tighten around hers as his mother looked between them.

"Ginevra?" Narcissa's face lit up like a child's on Christmas morning, and she clapped her hands together. "This is wonderful!"

"Thank you," Ginny muttered uncomfortably.

Narcissa reached for Ginny's free hand and began to move her away from Draco. "When did this happen? You must tell me everything!"

"I—err—" Ginny stammered, trying her best to hold onto Draco's hand.

"Mother," Draco expressed with unmistakable warning. "You don't want to scare her off."

"Nonsense!" Narcissa exclaimed. "If your father's poor behavior at past dinners wasn't enough to scare Ginevra off. A few questions from me won't send her running away."

"Poor behavior?" Lucius questioned in his deep voice. "I don't believe I have ever been guilty of such a crime."

Ginny stiffened the moment she heard his voice; it washed over her like an icy cold bucket of water. The moment of truth was at hand, and she felt totally unprepared. It was no secret that she and Draco's father shared a love-hate relationship — they loved to hate each other — yet his approval at this point seemed paramount.

"Lucius, the least you can do is not fib," Narcissa chided politely.

"Draco, I thought you informed your mother that you were bringing your girlfriend to dinner," Lucius stated, ignoring his wife's jibe.

_Girlfriend…_ Ginny thought. _He makes it sound like a dirty word — like something not worthy of a Malfoy. _

"I did," Draco replied, grinning broadly.

"Well?" Lucius questioned impatiently. "Where is she?"

"Right here, Father," Draco said smugly. "I believe you already know each other."

For a fleeting moment Lucius' mask cracked and Ginny saw the shock that was usually disguised by the stoic expression. A smirk tugged at her lips. The older wizard wasn't accustomed to being caught unawares. "Good evening, Mr. Malfoy."

"Well, Miss Weasley, this was quite unexpected," Lucius intoned civilly.

"You and your fibs, Lucius!" Narcissa waved a dismissive hand at her husband. "This was very much hoped for. We were only discussing it at the Nott's ball on Saturday evening."

Lucius cleared his throat before interrupting his wife. "_You_ were discussing the prospect, dearest. Not I."

Narcissa waved her hand at him again. "It matters not," she declared airily.

"Some wine, Mother?" Draco offered, hoping to put a stop to the dispute that was about to escalate.

"That would be lovely, darling," Narcissa accepted. "There's some Elf Made Wine on the side bar."

"Ginny?" Draco asked.

"Please," Ginny responded with a tight smile. She missed his hand the moment he took it away.

Draco looked at his father. The older man's nostrils were flaring with discontent. "Father?"

"Firewhisky," Lucius demanded.

"At this hour, Lucius?" Narcissa queried, raising a perfect eyebrow at her husband.

"Just a little something to dull the pain, dearest," Lucius ground out.

Narcissa rolled her eyes expressively and sent Ginny a look that clearly said: men!

"Ladies." Draco held out two elegant crystal wine glasses.

"Thank you," Narcissa said with a cheery smile.

"Thank you," Ginny whispered. She felt like draining the entire contents of the glass, and then heading straight to the bottle; drunken numbness had to be better than the tension she was feeling right now.

"Take it easy," Draco mouthed in Ginny's face.

Ginny sighed lightly. It was as if he could read her mind.

"Father," Draco intoned as he passed Lucius an enormous tumbler.

Lucius nodded his thanks and took a generous gulp of the beverage.

"Draco, you're not joining us for wine?" Narcissa asked, eying his tumbler.

"I thought I'd keep Father company," Draco answered nonchalantly.

"I see," Narcissa responded disappointedly.

"Not to worry, Mother, I won't make a mess of myself," Draco promised.

"Famous last words," Narcissa whispered to Ginny.

Ginny couldn't help but giggle a little.

"Now tell me how the two of you finally realized what was right in front of you," Narcissa demanded.

"Oh—well, we—" Ginny agonized over her words. It was easy with her family, because they'd known about the competition to find each other a partner, but Draco's parents knew nothing of the foolish behavior that they'd been immersing themselves in these past weeks. "Umm—"

"We're laying the blame firmly at Blaise Zabini's feet," Draco said.

"Oh?"

"He thought he'd send us on a magical date," Draco continued. "One where we'd have no choice but to tell the truth about how we felt afterwards or suffer the consequences."

Narcissa's hand flew to her chest. "My goodness."

"It was nothing serious, Mother," Draco assured her. "I turned red and gold for a little while when I decided to tell little white lies to keep Ginny from knowing how I really felt."

"How creative," Lucius drawled indifferently.

"What did you have to do to rid yourself of those hideous colors?" Narcissa inquired.

"Tell the truth," Draco replied.

"Ingenious," Narcissa said.

"He thought so," Draco responded dryly.

"Ginevra, did you decide to give my foolish son a chance after he was finally honest with you?" Narcissa asked.

"I felt the same," Ginny admitted in a small voice as color flooded her cheeks. "Of course, the fact that I turned green and silver prompted the truth to be told."

"Both of you have been so blind for so long," Narcissa told them emphatically.

"Blind, Mother?" Draco queried incredulously.

"Everyone has been able to see what you've been denying for years," Narcissa responded.

"I hardly think we need to encourage this situation," Lucius interposed irritably.

"Of course we do," Narcissa replied positively. "Young love needs all the encouragement it can get."

Lucius snorted in an undignified manner to indicate his disapproval.

"Do you not remember when we were courting, darling?" Narcissa asked sweetly.

"Say yes," Draco hissed. "I don't need to hear—"

"Hush, Draco," Narcissa instructed. "Lucius?"

Lucius' mouth twitched a little. "Of course I do, dearest."

"Then you will stop this boorish nonsense and start supporting your son in the most important relationship of his life, to date," Narcissa instructed.

"I have not been unsupportive," Lucius defended himself.

Narcissa pinned her husband with a look that would have melted a lesser man.

Lucius cleared his throat uncomfortably and averted his gaze to the large picture windows on the side of the room.

It was obviously a private moment between a long-married couple and Ginny tried to look away, but she found it fascinating that the old Death Eater could be virtually brought to his knees by a look from his wife. She started when Draco burst into laughter.

"Don't be rude, Draco," Narcissa said pointedly.

"My apologies, Mother," Draco managed as his sniggers subsided.

"Your turn will come," Lucius hissed as he passed his son on the way to the side bar for a refill.

Narcissa's eyes sharpened. "Lucius, we're about to have dinner."

"Of course," Lucius responded tightly. He placed his tumbler on the side bar with a controlled knock.

"Why don't we go through to the dining room now?" Narcissa suggested.

Draco moved quickly to offer Ginny his arm. She'd already gotten to her feet and was about to start heading to the dining room unaccompanied with her wine glass. After all the times she'd eaten with his family he'd have thought she might have retained a little of what their rituals were for his mother's sake. The moment his parents moved past them, he discreetly reached for the glass and extracted from her hand, leaving it on a small occasional table as they exited the room.

"I was enjoying that," Ginny hissed.

"Don't worry, the wine Mother serves with dinner is a little stronger than that rubbish," Draco whispered into her ear.

"Good," Ginny returned quietly.

When they reached the dining room, Draco had to hold Ginny back, so he'd get a chance to hold her chair out for her. If he had failed to do that his mother would have had a fit. As he took his seat his mother summoned the servants with the little golden bell that had sat at her right hand for longer than he could remember.

Narcissa constantly, but graciously, pumped Ginny for information about their relationship through the main course. It was something that Draco found exasperating, because his mother wasn't one to hold back on her interrogation nor would she accept brief answers. He couldn't relax at all and often missed what his father was trying to tell him, which clearly goaded Lucius. Draco had just started to add up how much more time he'd have to spend in a state of high anxiety when he heard the sound he'd been dreading more than anything all evening. A quick glance to his right confirmed his worst fears.

Ginny's effort to stifle the mad giggle that was trying to force its way out of her throat was a grand failure.

Draco sighed heavily. He'd always successfully ignored the fact that his father found it necessary to glare at Ginny across the dinner table, but he'd promised her he'd do something about it tonight. "Father, for the sake of my sanity, will you please stop glaring at Ginny? As you might have guessed, she finds your efforts amusing."

"Amusing?" Lucius repeated curiously as he softened his gaze, but didn't avert his eyes.

Ginny froze. He'd given her an opening, a huge opening, to tell him what she really thought. It could be a trick, because they were at the dinner table and she was sure that telling anyone what she thought of them during dinner would be considered indecorous.

"Father, I wouldn't push the issue," Draco warned quietly. It was at times like this that he wished he didn't know her so well, because he could see Ginny seriously considering her options, and he knew before she even opened her mouth that it wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Yes, amusing," Ginny confirmed. "Don't get me wrong, Mr. Malfoy, I used to be afraid of you — when I was about thirteen."

"Really?" Lucius asked inquisitively.

"But even you have to admit that over the years you have softened up a little," Ginny continued. "And I have seen how you bow down to Mrs. Malfoy."

An unmanly squeak escaped from Draco's throat. It was all that he could manage as his planned future flashed before his eyes. He'd just reached the point where his future children would be motherless when an odd sound caught his attention — his mother was laughing harder than he'd ever heard her laugh before.

"Oh, Lucius, you should see your face!" Narcissa was hardly able to breathe, but she managed to get a few words out.

Draco chanced a glance at his father. He could feel a bubble of laughter trying to work its way up his throat, and he fought valiantly to keep it in, but between his father's expression, the smug expression on Ginny's face, and his mother's raucous laughter he didn't have a hope in hell.

"What are you sniggering at?" Lucius snarled at Draco.

"You really should see your face, Father," Draco blurted.

Lucius growled deep in his chest and leaned forward, pinning Ginny with a deadly look. "I do not bow down to my wife."

"If you say so," Ginny replied just as a giggle escaped her.

"Laughed at in my own home," Lucius muttered disgustedly under his breath.

"Oh, darling, don't be like that," Narcissa crooned. "Ginevra has simply had the opportunity to see you in a private setting."

"Just because I value your happiness does not mean I am weak," Lucius ground out.

"Oh—Oh no—I didn't mean—I think it's sweet and—and endearing," Ginny stammered.

"Sweet and endearing… There's two words I never wanted associated with my personality," Lucius grumbled.

"I won't tell a soul, I promise," Ginny pledged with exaggerated sincerity.

Lucius quirked an eyebrow and sent a skeptical look at the woman sitting next to his son.

Ginny dropped her eyes, suddenly feeling a little guilty. She clearly needed to fix this. In all the years she'd been visiting Malfoy Manor with Draco she'd never repeated anything she'd witnessed within its walls. More than anyone, she understood how this family valued its privacy. "Mr. Malfoy, I really admire the way you care about your wife. It's clear to anyone who cares to observe you together that you love each other a great deal. I also meant what I said about not saying anything; I never have and I never will."

"Well—" Lucius uttered stiffly. "I do appreciate the sentiment."

"Thank you," Draco whispered almost silently.

Ginny smiled softly at Draco.

"I think we might take tea in the parlor," Narcissa suggested as if she hadn't just been laughing hard enough to almost fall off her chair.

"Sounds wonderful, Mother," Draco replied. He'd do anything to move the mood and a change of scenery was a starting point.

After Narcissa had instructed the servants, the family moved back to the parlor. The women took up residence on a love seat by the window, while the men headed for the side bar. Draco didn't feel it necessary to hover too close to Ginny now, but he still wanted to keep one ear on her conversation with his mother. Besides, keeping his father away from her was probably the most prudent thing he could do, because there was no knowing what would happen if Ginny allowed her opinion to flow freely again.

Draco began to measure the time carefully. He knew they couldn't leave too early or too close to the end of the meal, or he'd risk insulting his mother, and that would just lead to more grief. His father, he was sure, was dying to see the back of them tonight, but he would have to be patient.

"Are you looking to leave soon?" Lucius questioned.

"No, of course not," Draco responded.

"I suggest you stop looking at the clock so often then. Your mother would consider it rude," Lucius growled.

"My apologies for getting your hopes up, Father," Draco whispered.

"No matter," Lucius muttered. "I have to have something to cling to."

Draco chuckled. "You don't really dislike her, do you, Father?"

"I had hoped you would marry within your class, but if you're happy then I will adapt."

"You didn't answer the question," Draco noted.

"Ginevra is one of a kind. I don't doubt she'll make a good wife. She's strong willed and independent—"

"Like Mother?"

"Yes, like your mother." Lucius glanced over at his wife of several decades. "But your mother came from the right background."

"Ginny's background is strong," Draco countered. "Purebloods steeped in tradition."

Lucius sighed. "It's a point I can't argue."

"Then what is the point?"

"I doubt she'll be able to handle the changes in her economic circumstances with grace."

"Money doesn't mean an awful lot to Ginny," Draco informed him. "I think that's why we were able to build such a strong friendship. She sees me for who I am, not the balance of my vaults."

"Are you sure? Money tends not to be an issue until there is an amount to be bothered about."

"Positive. You should see her if I insist on paying for dinner or buy her drinks." Draco chuckled amusedly. "I always find her share later."

"Oh?"

"It took me a while to work it out, but I finally figured out that it was she who was leaving odd amounts of money around my flat."

Lucius nodded thoughtfully.

"She's very independent, and if she was looking for a free ride it would have been going on for years."

"True," Lucius conceded. "What about her work?"

"What about it?"

"Is she prepared to give up her career to be your wife?"

"Father, I haven't formally requested her hand yet, and if she wants to keep working… Well, we'd discuss that when the time came."

"Does she know you intend to?"

"I've made no secret of it."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you've only been a couple since Saturday."

"That's right."

"And you've already mentioned marriage?"

"Even before we decided to be a couple," Draco confessed. "I wanted her to know that I was in this forever — to give her the opportunity to back away gracefully if it wasn't what she wanted."

"How noble," Lucius drawled.

"Father, I have too much respect for her to simply expect that she shares the same desires I do."

"Of course," Lucius uttered. "And what does her family think of your change in status?"

"For the most part they weren't surprised, though her brothers still gave me a bit of a hard time."

"How?"

"The usual threats of bodily harm and death, should I hurt her in any way."

"How amusing," Lucius replied dryly.

"It was a little." Draco laughed. "They felt obligated, but there was no real feeling behind their words, because they'd been waiting for us to wake up to ourselves. Plus, it means they no longer have to worry about her when she's out trying to attract men."

Lucius' eyes opened a fraction wider in surprise. "Trying to attract men?"

"Father, Ginny was no different to me. Until Saturday, we were both looking for casual— err— companionship from the opposite sex."

"She was—"

"Don't say it," Draco warned, knowing full well that his father was about to bring Ginny's reputation into question. "What's in the past, stays in the past, and it's not as if I didn't know about it. I was there much of the time."

"You observed?"

"Father," Draco growled.

"You should choose your words carefully, son. What you just said leaves a great deal open to vicious minds."

"Or filthy minds, like yours," Draco countered.

"Duly noted," Lucius responded. "When do you plan to permanently seal your relationship with her?"

"I don't know yet," Draco mused aloud. "When the time feels right for both of us I suppose."

"Both of you?"

"I would get down on my knee this evening, if I thought she would say yes without stammering, but I don't believe she is truly ready to make that sort of a commitment."

"A wise decision." The corners of Lucius' mouth pulled up into a smile.

Draco read his father's tone and expression perfectly. "If you think that time is going to affect my feelings for her or my plans for the future, you're going to be disappointed."

"Not at all," Lucius responded.

"Just as long as you understand. I've felt this way for six years, and now that I've admitted it, I intend to never let the fear of the unknown get in the way of my desires again."

"Six years?"

"Yes, Father, it's been that long," Draco confirmed. "Just think, if I hadn't been afraid of losing her friendship you could have been bouncing a grandchild on your knee now."

"You're that serious?" Lucius questioned, clearly astonished.

Draco smiled confidently. He knew that he'd just convinced his father that this was exactly what he wanted, and there was no doubt in his mind. "I am."

Lucius nodded soberly. "I remember the feeling."

"Excuse me?" Draco frowned, not sure what his father was alluding to this time.

"When I met your mother, I knew I would one day marry her and we would have a child together," Lucius confided. "It's a powerful feeling."

"It is," Draco divulged quietly.

Lucius looked at the women. "I simply hope that she is capable of becoming everything you expect her to."

"She already is everything I expect and then some, Father." Draco smiled at Ginny when she happened to glance up. "She will do our family proud."

His father fell silent; obviously satisfied that he knew what he was doing. It wasn't that Draco hadn't expected the interrogation; he just thought his father might wait until they had some privacy.

Draco glanced over at Ginny. She was talking animatedly with his mother. He decided he'd give her another five minutes, and then he'd suggest they leave, though not for the reasons he was initially watching the clock — he wanted to get her back to his place and into bed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


	14. The Hardest Question

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from the wonderful world of Harry Potter, they all belong to the revered JK Rowling; I just like to play with them a little._

_**Author's Notes**__: Written for scarlettrayne2 for t__he Fall 2008 __dgficexchange. Huge thank you to my beta, rainpuddle13 for her patience, commentary and skill._

**TRUTH WILL OUT**

**THE HARDEST QUESTION**

He turned the small box over in his hand for the umpteenth time and swallowed the bile threatening to rise to his throat. Why had he even thought that he could go through with this? He simply didn't have the courage to place his heart on the floor before her and wait for her to either pick it up gently or crush it beneath her shoe. It wasn't that he truly believed she'd reject him, but there was a little nagging thought in the back of his mind that it was too soon for her — that she might stumble through her answer. Perhaps she was perfectly happy continuing as they had been for the past couple of months?

Their lives had changed so much since that fateful weekend eight weeks ago that neither of them were really the same person — they had become one. Rather than going out, prowling for eligible shags, they preferred a quiet drink, followed by a lovely meal, and then a peaceful night in each other's arms. Of course, those preferred evenings were dotted with family obligations on both sides that were still slightly nightmarish in quality; both parties understood that escape at the soonest possible moment was the biggest objective, no matter what the occasion.

Ginny had all but moved into Draco's flat, because they couldn't ever seem to part until morning. The only downside to this arrangement was that her family had caught on and, instead of leaving messages for her at her own flat, they often just appeared on his doorstep. It wouldn't have bothered him quite so much if they had better timing, but they didn't — at least one of them was in a state of undress whenever someone arrived, and that often led to poorly concealed frustration.

They had, for all intents and purposes, already settled down to a life that resembled marriage. Their relationship and commitment to each other was strong — neither had wandering eyes or minds — but they hadn't spoken of sealing the union officially since the first week they'd been together. It had become a taboo subject after one of her brothers overheard him telling her, yet again, that he fully intended on marrying her — Draco had blocked the Floo connection in his bedroom after that incident. After that, the Weasley brothers took it upon themselves to have another little chat with him, and this time it was less pleasant than the first time, mostly because Ginny wasn't there to save his arse at any given moment, and the information that had prompted the second chat had been gained while they'd been in bed enjoying the afterglow of mind-blowing sex — a fact that had not been lost on the eavesdropper. He had a feeling that the only thing that truly saved his skin that day was the fact that Ginny would flay them if they harmed him in any way.

The clasp of the box pressed painfully into his hand, reminding him of the purpose of this little dirty weekend away. He'd been rather proud of his planning prowess until now — now he doubted himself. Without her knowledge, Draco had managed to pack both of them up for a weekend in the Greek Islands, or more specifically the island of Ithaca. She had been surprised, to say the least, and he was positive she was pleased with the arrangements as well, given the amount of deafening squealing she'd subjected his ears to.

They'd arrived the evening before, via a private international Portkey, and had basically headed straight for the enormous bed in the master bedroom of the house he'd managed to secure for the weekend. At some point, he'd raided the kitchen for some food and wine, but otherwise they'd not left the master suite. Ginny had fallen asleep sometime around midnight, but Draco had found himself wide awake. Rather than lay there tossing and turning, he moved out to the balcony with a bottle of aged Firewhisky to keep him warm. The alcohol had done nothing to help his agitated state and hours later he was still too wired to sleep.

Draco glanced back into the room and at the sleeping woman. He had never anticipated what love would feel like, and it was probably a good thing, because his mind wouldn't have been able to imagine anything like the reality. There was no doubt in his mind that she was 'the one'. Since they'd admitted their feelings, he'd not even glanced at another woman, let alone thought about one — Ginny was the only one in existence for him.

His eyes wandered out to the Ionian Sea. It was almost black in the predawn light, and it was most definitely not inviting. He vowed to bring Ginny back here in the summer, when the island was at its best, and the sea begged you to swim in its beautiful blue waters. Perhaps they could honeymoon here? Draco caught himself before his thoughts wandered too far — he was yet to pop the big question, so making honeymoon plans was definitely not good use of his time.

Again he sifted through his thoughts trying to come up with the right words to convince her to marry him. So far, everything he'd come up with sounded pitifully cliché and he didn't want to sound like that. He wanted to think of something utterly original, something she'd never forget.

"What are you doing out here?"

Startled by the sudden invasion, Draco jumped visibly, causing Firewhisky to slop over the side of the glass he was nursing.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Ginny said softly as her arm went around his shoulder, and she climbed into his lap.

"It's all right," Draco insisted, putting his glass on the small table beside him and wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "I'm fine. I was a million miles away."

"That's not where you're supposed to be," Ginny scolded lightly. "You were supposed to be in bed with me."

"I had a bit on my mind," Draco answered vaguely.

"Tell me."

"No, it's not interesting," Draco replied casually.

"I've got a feeling I should be offended," Ginny stated. "You're out here thinking about something not interesting instead of being in bed with me."

"Okay, I fibbed," Draco admitted. "My thoughts weren't that boring."

"So?"

"Maybe later," Draco hedged. "I'm too tired now."

"You don't sound tired."

"Well, I am," Draco claimed.

"Not too tired, I hope," Ginny purred.

Draco ran his hands up her back. "I suppose I could be convinced to stay awake for a little while longer."

Ginny frowned. "What was that?"

His heart leapt into his throat. He had encompassed the small jewelers box in his hand when he rubbed her back, thinking that it would be safe there. "What?"

"There's something sharp on your hand," Ginny claimed, turning around in his lap.

Draco moved his hand out of sight. It occurred to him that he should drop it behind his chair, but it would most definitely make enough noise for her to alert her.

"Draco, what's in your hand?"

"Nothing," Draco insisted. "My palm was itchy… I was trying to scratch it."

"Oh." Ginny frowned lightly.

"So are we going to sit out here, or are we going to go back to bed?"

"Look the sun is starting to come up!" Ginny pointed towards the horizon. "Look at the colors."

"I guess we're saying here then," Draco whispered.

"It's so beautiful," Ginny murmured.

"Not as beautiful as you."

"Thank you." Ginny turned so her back was against his chest and rested her head on his shoulder.

It was easy to relax in such a beautiful setting with the woman he loved in his arms. As the sky was slowly turning from deep purple to rosy pink Draco brought his arms around to encircle her. This was truly something that should only be enjoyed with the person you loved. Her hands slipped down to sit on top of his and without thinking he opened his hands to take hers into his.

"What's that?"

Draco snatched his hand away quickly. He'd relaxed too much — forgotten what he was holding. "It's nothing."

"Draco, what do you have in your hand?"

"Noth—" He stopped when she twisted to look him in the eye. This was not how he planned, but he'd been caught holding the evidence, and he wasn't foolish enough to believe that he'd get away with further denials. "All right. I had an ulterior motive for bringing you here this weekend."

A small smile began to play around Ginny's lips. "Do tell."

He took a deep breath and expelled the air slowly. This was it. He was going to have to do it now whether or not he was truly ready to make it memorable. The hand holding the small box drifted up to sit in front of her. "You see … I brought you here to ask you to be my wife."

Ginny gasped quietly.

"I wanted to make it really memorable," Draco continued. "I've been out here for hours trying to think of how and where to pop the question."

"And did you think of anything?"

"Not a thing," Draco admitted disappointedly. "I just wanted it to be really special for you."

A soft smile graced her face as she brought a hand up to stroke his cheek. "Draco, look around you. We're somewhere in the Greek Islands and the sun is rising over the sea. Have you ever seen a more beautiful sight?"

"We're on the island of Ithaca, and it's the Ionian Sea," Draco clarified.

"Whatever it is, it's beautiful."

"I just want to make sure you know where you are should you get lost," Draco explained.

"And right now you're changing the subject," Ginny stated as she lifted herself off his lap.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked as she began to move away.

"Bed."

"Ginny, wait." Draco jumped to his feet in a panic. It was now or never. He dropped to one knee and waited for her to turn. "Please?"

She slowly turned on the spot. Her eyes, which were almost blank to begin with, began to sparkle and color rose in her cheeks. It was agonizing waiting for her to step closer, but she was eventually standing within arms reach.

"Yes?"

Draco looked at the box in his hand, unfastened the clasp to display the elaborate engagement ring inside, took a deep breath and let his heart do the talking. "Ginevra Weasley, these past two months have been the happiest I've ever been. I never dreamed I'd discover the powerful force that is true love. I believe you are my true soul mate and without you my life is meaningless. Will you marry me?"

The silence lasted no more than a second or two, but to Draco it felt like a lifetime. His heart was pounding so hard that he feared he might not be able to hear her answer, and then he feared he might if it were not the answer he was looking for. What had seemed like a solid strategic plan when they left England had now become a murky pit of uncertainty. He could do nothing but hope she would consent now that the words had fallen from his mouth.

"Yes," Ginny whispered.

"Did you say yes?" Draco queried from his kneeling position.

"Of course I did!"

In one movement, Draco was on his feet and had captured his bride-to-be in his arms. The burden of insecurity lifted quickly, allowing his heart to soar. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Ginny muttered emotionally. "I was afraid you wouldn't—"

He didn't want to hear her doubt his character, so he captured her mouth in a searing kiss. Warmth spread through his whole body, radiating from his heart. Marriage had always scared him to death before, but now he was looking to make this woman his wife as soon as possible. A winter wedding popped into his head, and he briefly considered whether or not it would be worth convincing Ginny that it would be one of his more brilliant ideas.

"The ring," Ginny mumbled into his ear as he trailed his mouth over her neck. "Can I—"

Draco straightened up immediately. "Of course, love."

With little fanfare, he extracted the diamond ring — the symbol of his enduring love for one woman — from it's protective box and slipped it onto her left hand. His mouth pressed down on the rock, sealing their union with a kiss.

"It's so beautiful," Ginny whispered as she admired her hand. "It fits perfectly."

"I know," Draco answered smugly. "I tried it on you last week."

Ginny's forehead creased. "When?"

"You sleep pretty soundly after a few glasses of wine," Draco replied, smirking cheekily.

"You devil! What if I'd woken up?"

"Well, you'd have caught me, and I would have had to propose on the spot," Draco informed her confidently.

"Like tonight?"

"Yes, like tonight." Draco stifled a yawn. "It wasn't that I wasn't going to, because I definitely was, but I was just trying to think of a way to do it that—"

Ginny placed a finger over his mouth to quiet his elaborate, but unnecessary, explanation. "I know."

Draco yawned widely and rubbed a hand over his face.

"Have you slept at all?"

"No, I couldn't."

"Back to bed with you then," Ginny ordered.

"Are you coming?"

"Of course."

"Good." Draco grinned nefariously. "I might need a little exercise to diminish the last of my energy."

"Oh really?"

Rather than respond, Draco scooped her into his arms and carried her back to bed. The moment they got themselves comfortable Draco could feel his body start to truly relax. His hands roamed without conviction, moving slowly over her body, without making any effort to arouse her. He kissed the side of her head and pulled her closer to him. Happiness didn't even begin to describe what he felt at this moment. Just the knowledge that this was how he'd fall asleep every night from the day they married was enough to bring a smile to his face big enough to hurt his cheeks. It was his last conscious thought for the next eight hours as sleep claimed his weary mind rapidly.

_The End_

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End file.
